
Copyright^ . 



IVI* 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 

REVELATIONS FROM ZERTOULEM 
THE PROPHET OF TLASKANATA 



AUTOMATICALLY TRANSCRIBED BY 

Rev, George A; Fuller, M. D. 



INTRODUCTION BY 
SUSIE C. CLARK 



SECOND EDITION 



TlRISTOPjfEf^ 

PUBLISHING 
HOUSE 

BOSTON 



m6 



Copyright igi6 
By Rev. George; A. Fueeer, M. D. 



tf 



^ 

*• 

V 

^ 



APR 27 I9I6 

©CI.A427851 

7vch 



INTRODUCTION 



TRUTH is eternal, exhaustless, unfathomable. Its 
Divine Fount is far beyond human discovery, 
however rich the intellect which aspires towards its inac- 
cessible heights. It lies far above the topmost clouds 
which eye of man can scan, far beyond the Storm-King's 
throne, whence the flashing lightnings are hurled, where 
the mighty thunderbolts are forged ; far above the vast 
waves of ether, that wide Planetary Sea where suns and 
worlds float and sail their swift, majestic currents ; still 
farther on beyond the boundaries of this entire Universe 
of expressed Life, toward the Infinite, causeless Cause, 
the Unmanifest, the Silence, from whose profound depths 
all vibrations are stirred, all Light spoken, all Harmony 
breathed — even there and only thence has Truth its pris- 
tine, immaculate birth. 

No human ear can catch its full-toned syllables, no 



IV INTRODUCTION 

heart conceive the beauty, the grandeur of its sub- 
lime accents, but to the aspiring soul come glintings of 
its full-orbed Glory, flash-lights of its Perfection. And to 
that soul which likewise feels its own union with the same 
wondrous Source, there come in-breathings, or inspira- 
tions, of this Eternal Wisdom, whose translation into 
human speech serves to illumine mundane shadows. 

All down through the ages such souls have blessed and 
enlightened the world. The messages received by such 
seers, prophets and psalmists have been collected in 
every cycle of human advancement, into Scriptures fitly 
termed sacred, into Vedas, Sutras, Koran, Avesta and 
Bible. No age, nation or teacher holds a copyright 
above any other for the excellence or infallibility of its 
particular message. The One Fountain has countless 
rills, and were all these minute streams collected into one 
great volume, the vast reservoir which feeds them would 
still be scarcely touched. 

But as humanity advances, as material, grovelling ten- 
dencies are transcended and outgrown, and the Light of 
the Spirit illumines mortal vision, as the yearning of the 
soul increases and is felt above the clamor of the senses, 
as the demand for more of Truth arises from the lips and 



INTRODUCTION V 

hearts of men, such earnest prayer is always answered. 
Pure-hearted messengers are chosen and prepared through 
discipline, through sorrows manifold, to hear this tran- 
scendent Voice and transmit its potent accents to man- 
kind. 

The planet is now passing its sixth cyclical birthday. 
The fifth grand cycle wanes, a new spiritual dispensation 
is upon us; the sixth age advances, the opening of the 
sixth seal. Our solar centre in his tireless revolution 
around far distant Alcyone, with his attendant retinue of 
worlds, passes from one sign of the Zodiac to another, 
making marked planetary changes in physical, mental 
and spiritual life. Wars, famine and pestilence abound 
— the fermentation of unrest, which will work out the 
necessary purification for the spiritual era, whose dawn 
already is dimly discerned. Even now the angels of 
preparation for this glad new Day are on the earth or in 
the air, psychic gateways are being prepared among the 
children of men for the entrance of new messages of 
Truth, for deeper words of Wisdom, for grander paeans of 
Harmony than have hitherto blessed the world. 

Such a message is contained in the rare volume before 
us, whose origin and manner of transmission are calcu- 



VI INTRODUCTION 

lated to inspire the soul with reverence and awe. Not 
alone is it literally the work of angelic hands, but it 
serves also as a valuable link with a prehistoric past, the 
inspirer of these pages having once worn mortal form, 
once trodden mundane pathways, in the earliest civiliza- 
tion our planet has known, many thousand years ago, 
in Central America. 

The instrument through whom this grand, unique 
message has been transmitted — Dr. George A. Fuller — 
is admirably fitted to be thus chosen as a mouthpiece of 
wise inspirers, being a man of pure, clean nature, a close 
student, philosopher and aspirant for Truth, loving honor 
and integrity better than fame or fortune. He has been 
for years before the public as a teacher of spiritual truth, 
constantly under observation when criticism was rife, 
without a stain or breath of calumny. Some twenty-five 
years ago, Dr. Fuller possessed to some degree the gift 
of automatic writing, and at that time received communi- 
cations purporting to come from an ancient dweller of 
Central America. But these messages were chiefly his- 
torical and personal, and after a time ceased; gradually 
also the automatic gift was withdrawn, presumably for- 
ever, 



INTRODUCTION Vll 

After the lapse of a quarter of a century, however, — 

"The mills of the gods grind slow, 
But they grind exceeding fine," — 

to Dr. Fuller's great surprise, on the morning of June 
fourth, suddenly and without warning, a peculiar pricking 
of the hand and arm, with a strong impulse to take his 
pen, resulted in the transcription of the first chapter in 
this volume, followed an hour and two hours later by 
succeeding chapters. At intervals during the current 
summer, though busily engaged in other absorbing duties, 
the volume grew, page by page, until the ancient Teacher 
and Revel ator himself pronounced the Finis. 

Who shall say that other sacred books have not been 
similarly penned? The manner of inspiration, it is true, 
matters little, or whether the angel is seen, as it was by 
John in Patmos, and other early writers; it is the purport 
of the message which decides its value, and surely the 
exalted character of this scripture, its revealments of 
spiritual truth, its advanced teachings, its lofty concep- 
tions and ideals, the beauty of its musical rhythm, the 
utterly impersonal feature of its authorship, must stamp 
this work, whatever its source, as pure inspiration of a 
high order. 



Vlll INTRODUCTION 

By the expressed wish of the intelligence inditing these 
pages, the volume is now given to the world. The same 
Power that had a use for it and thus called it into being 
will direct that those souls who are ready, whose further 
growth demands this nutriment, will attract it unto them, 
while minds less ripened may pass it by until a more 
convenient season. To sow the seed is all the disciple 
can do. The Lord of the harvest can alone bring the 
increase in His own time and way. May it prove an 
hundred-fold to every thoughtful, earnest reader! 

" Rise, oh my soul, to still loftier heights ; unfettered 
be all thy wings!" 

Susie C. Clark. 



I. 

r 7ERT0ULEM spake unto the multitude 
*-** and said: Inasmuch as ye are led by 

the desire to gratify selfish propensities are ye 
excluded from the higher light which is the 
natural birthright of every soul. 

Be ye seekers after the higher truths of the 
spirit, not content with the vain babblings of 
men who are puffed up with their own self- 
conceits. 

He that overcomes the flesh, not by cruci- 
fixion and mortification, but by sublimation, 
that leadeth to the complete purification of 
this house in which spirit dwells, shall become 
a leader among men, and shall know all things 
in heaven and earth. 

Knowledge is not always gained of books, 



2 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

for oft-times these are misleading and unsatis- 
factory. Spirit must speak to spirit, and soul 
must vibrate responsive to the inner harmo- 
nies of the universe of God. 

He who seeks of the spirit shall find the 
royal road that leadeth to the great garner 
house where is stored the rich fruitage of the 
ages. 

Be not deceived of men who occupy the 
chief seats in the synagogues and universities 
of the outer world, for these are puffed up 
with their own self-conceits. 

They conceive of theories, then search the 
universe that they may find facts that seem to 
prove their verity. 

They go no deeper than the outer husk of 
the external universe. Like children, they 
play with these cast-off shells. Out of these 
things are builded the sciences and religions 
of the world. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 3 

The teachings of the great masters have 
been misunderstood and misapplied. The 
world has been too engrossed with material 
things to read aright the lessons given. 

Only the things of the spirit are permanent. 
All outward things are transitory and fleeting. 
Vain pomp and glory of the world without life, 
ye flaunt your gaudy rags before eyes whose 
spiritual vision is sealed. Ye have no domin- 
ion over him who is baptized of the spirit. 

He rises glorified and exalted into the 
atmosphere of gods. 

He reflects no light of sun or star, but 
glows and shines with the inexhaustible light 
of spirit. 

He acknowledges no leadership, either of 
book or man, but follows the star of his own 
destipy. 

To him is given the broadest liberty, for the 
wings of his spirit, at last, have been unfet- 



4 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

tered, and now they cleave the ethers of infi- 
nite space. 

The glory of the rapidly dying East, the 
wealth of El Dorados, flicker, fade and are lost 
in this newer glory and wealth of the spirit, ex- 
haustless and undying. 

I that speak unto ye am as deathless as 
the Unspeakable One. I assist at the birth 
of worlds and universes. I am my own star of 
destiny. 

What I am ye also may become. Through 
the gateway of suffering and poverty ye must 
be led until the spirit asserts itself. 

Know then your oneness with the Infinite, 
and claim the royal birthright that is thine 
inheritance. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 



II. 

TXT" HEN the faithful ones were gathered 

* * together Zertoulem appeared in their 
midst and said unto them : Let peace and love 
abide ever in your midst. 

For without peace there can be no true 
spiritual growth. It is the foundation upon 
which all true life must rest. Discord and war 
are great shadows that shut out the light of 
Omn the Infinite. 

My gospel is one of peace, although at first 
it might seem to bring discord into the world. 
For it shall separate families and break many 
of the ties that the world calls sacred. 

Peace cometh not by conforming to the out- 
ward usages of the world, but by seeking the 
way of the spirit that leadeth to a more perfect 
life. 



6 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Wealth and outward prosperity, the inordi- 
nate desire for gain, these bring neither peace 
nor love to the world. Instead they foster the 
spirit of unrest and develop in man the selfish 
propensities. 

No man has ownership in material things. 
Houses, lands, books and other properties are 
loaned him for his use. Not even does he 
own the body he occupies. This is loaned 
him for a season, but when Omn calls the 
spirit hence, he needs must return the body to 
the great reservoir from whence at the bidding 
of His spirit it was called. 

War is inevitable when man seizes more of 
this world's goods than he can utilize. 

Peace comes when he takes that which he 
can use for his or other's good. 

The earth is Omn's, and the fruits thereof 
are for the sustenance of his children. 

There should be no private ownership in 



WISDOM OF THE AGES J 

land, but a portion should be set apart by wise 
leaders sacred to the uses of each individual. 

Remember, oh, my disciples, that ye are not 
of this world of selfish, discordant, sensual 
men, for ye have been called to the Higher 
Life, where peace reigns evermore. 

Ye are bound by indissoluble chains of love, 
and not by the bonds of the flesh, of avarice, of 
selfishness, and of passion, wherewith the peo- 
ple of the Outer World are bound. 

Love knows no evil, and only seeks to bless 
all. 

I would not condemn those who have not 
the light of the spirit, and walk by the uncer- 
tain light of the flesh alone. They are Otmar, 
ones who have not awakened to the newer 
light of the spirit. 

They are neither to be condemned nor 
pitied. They are walking where ye walked 
ages ago. The divine spark will yet be 



8 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

kindled upon the altar of their souls, and then 
the path of the spirit will be made plain and 
clear to them. 

Hold condemnation for no man. Be not so 
conceited as to think ye are higher or wiser 
than others. The veil has simply become thin 
between your eyes and the Infinite Omn. 

As brothers, commune together and enjoy 
the serenity of a pure and noble life. 

Walk among men, imparting of your peace 
and love to those in need, and your influence 
for good shall be felt afar in the world. Then 
shall thy soul become as sweet and fragrant as 
the air of morning, and Peace and Love the 
wings that bear thee onward amid circling 
spheres of light. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 



III. 

r)URPLE and gold are the mountains of 
* Sebas-tha-ontu; above hang wavy billows 
of golden fleece; for he that giveth life to all 
terrestrial things, mighty Tha, sleeps in the 
Chamber of the West. 

The valleys are filled with purple mists and 
gloom, for the arrows of Tha no longer speed 
on their course. 

The night winds laden with the heavy per- 
fume of a thousand plants soothe the restless 
breast of man, and seal down his eyelids with 
a kiss. 

Sleep, the shadow of death, is abroad in the 
land, and all is quiet, save the shrill note of 
the night bird and the voices of innumerable 
insects. 

Behold the grandeur of the heavens ! The 



IO WISDOM OF THE AGES 

crown that Omn wears sparkling with innum- 
erable gems. 

The soul is filled with awe and reverence at 
the majesty of the scene. 

All that the natural eye beholds pales into 
insignificance before the illimitable depths and 
numberless globes of amethyst, purple and 
gold that burst upon the bewildered vision of 
the spirit. 

Who made these chariots of fire that circle 
forever the throne of the Infinite One ? 

Ever on and on ! from chaos to nebulae, — 
from nebulae to suns, from suns to worlds ! 

Who the mighty Sculptor that shaped the 
endless variety of forms? 

Who the mighty Artist with brush dipped 
in molten colors made the heavens shine with 
new lights unknown before ? 

What mighty Musician gave to each star 
and sun its keynote, and made the heavens 



WISDOM OF THE AGES II 

vocal with a new song voicing the majesty 
and glory of the One, Everlasting Omn ? 

The Heavens give answer: Our Creator is 
Spirit. 

Archangels are the servants of Omn. They, 
the framers and builders of universes. They, 
the sculptors, artists, musicians, incomparable. 

In their hands chaos assumes form. The 
lightnings are their playthings. All the 
mighty and subtle forces obey the mandates 
of their wills. 

They make the pathways for circling 
spheres of fire. They determine when worlds 
shall be born out of these spheres, and shape 
and fashion them into things of exquisite 
beauty. 

Their work completed, angels of light are 
placed over them and become the masters of 
their destiny. 

Innumerable spirits do the biddings of these 



12 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

angels. And thua from angels to spirits, and 
from spirits to man terrestrial, throbs and 
beats forever the Life that is that of the 
Eternal One. 

One Life in all and through all ! One pur- 
pose, that of the Divine Will, pulsates in every 
atom, making through all a most perfect 
undertone of harmony. 

Purple and gold are the mountains of 
Sebas-tha-ontu, as the shades of evening settle 
over the earth. Peace, sweet peace, spreads 
her wings over all, and the questioning spirit 
of man rests ere it takes again its upward 
flight. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 3 



IV. 

r I ^HUS spake Zertoulem : Worlds age; suns 
* grow cold and cease to give forth light; 
both return to chaos whence they had birth. 

Their substance never ceases to exist ; but 
the form it had been compelled to take is no 
more in the external world. 

There are only two conditions of life, al- 
though the manifestations may be infinite — 
the External, or outer, and the Internal. 

The first is the realm of shadows, reflections 
of spirit as it passes across the great stage of 
Infinite Action. 

The second is the realm of the real — the 
spirit that vitalizes all things. 

Awful beyond description the spectacle of 
dead world or sun rushing madly onward into 
the wide opening arms of chaos. 



14 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Sublime beyond description the birth of a 
sun out from the dark clouds of chaos and 
night. 

With quickened vision the seer sees beyond 
world or sun the all-powerful arms of spirit that 
hurled to destruction or quickened into life. 

Over the formless he beholds a sphere of 
pure amethyst light. Innumerable rays flash 
from this sphere, grasping the dead atoms ana 
impregnating them with life. The atoms thus 
vitalized rush together and a sun is born into 
the universe. 

Beyond the sphere of light the seer beholds 
the form of the Archangel. But his eyes are 
still veiled, for it is not given to mortal to be- 
hold all the glory of those who stand nearest 
to the Infinite Omn. 

All power belongs to spirit. Here lies all 
that is permanent. Elsewhere all is fleeting 
and delusive. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 5 

He who sets his heart on earthly things is 
unwise, for these in time must return to the 
formless. 

Rather think of those imperishable things of 
the spirit, for these abide with thee evermore. 

Too great love of earthly things deadens all 
the nobler instincts of the spirit. 
< Much earthly possessions anchor the spirit 
to the earth. These impedimenta must be re- 
moved before spirit can spread its wings for 
flight into the Higher Heavens. 

Infinite possibilities slumber in every human 
soul. These are wrought out through many 
incarnations. 

Ye may have already trod the dust of many 
worMs. 

But he of little faith says : If this be true 
why do I not recall previous embodiments ? 

In answer, Zertoulem would say : Many do 
dimly see as in a glass the faint shadows of 



1 6 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

past experiences. But life holds within itself 
the results of all experiences. 

It is wise to assert what the spirit perceives; 
and he who is ready to receive will accept. 

The prophet speaks for all men — but all 
men are not yet ready to receive his words. 

Be patient, if the world receives not thy mes- 
sage ; if it be of the spirit, thou canst afford to 
bide thy time, for sooner or later the world will 
listen for thy voice. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 7 



V. 

OPIRIT is not born, therefore dies not. It 
^ is individualized not as a whole, but 
as a part of the Infinite One. 

Each soul possesses an atom of the Supreme 
Consciousness. This atom possesses the power 
to attract other atoms to itself. 

Inasmuch as the outward body is a matter of 
growth and development, so also the inner 
body, or that which becomes the envelope of 
the spirit after its transition from mundane life, 
is made up out of emanations from the thought 
life. 

Spirit is a segregation of divine atoms. 
These atoms never lose their relationship to 
the Infinite One. 

The Infinite One is more than father and 
mother, brother and sister, wife and husband, 



1 8 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

children and friends, for it is all of these and 
more. 

The air taken into the lungs gives new life 
and tone to the physical body. Inflate, then, 
the lungs of thy soul and draw from the Infi- 
nite Reservoir more atoms throbbing and pul- 
sating with the life that is divine. 

Death holds his carnival only in the exter- 
nal world. He cannot cross the threshold of 
spirit. 

Things created alone come within his do- 
main. The realm of the uncreate lies beyond 
his reach. 

Spirit triumphs over the grave and charnel- 
house. It is the only victor that fears no con- 
queror. 

It counts not time either by years or 
cycles, for it knows only the ever-present 
Now, which is Eternity. 

As in the realm of the external those things 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 9 

that approach the nearest to the imponderables 
are the mightiest of all, so in the internal world 
spirit is the power that controls all. 

Think of the external life, then, as only- 
one incident along the endless journey of 
spirit. 

And know this much of the future — it holds 
divine possibilities in store for all. 

Think not that there are favored ones of the 
Infinite, unless all are favored ones. 

Even the meanest life holds its measure of 
sacredness, and even here the struggle of the 
good for supremacy is apparent. 

The divinest life cannot hold more than its 
measure will contain of that which maketh for 
righteousness. 

Omn is not a jealous God ; neither does He 
love the few and hate the many. Over all are 
stretched His protecting arms ; all bask in the 
sunshine of His love. 



20 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Oh, Omn, our souls reflect the light and 
glory of Thy presence ! 

Our souls are ever filled with devotion to 
Thee, the one true God, whose love is the 
source of our growth and strength. 

We would worship Thee through sacrifices 
placed on humanity's altar. 

Deeds, and not words alone, are the gifts we 
would bring unto Thee. 

Oh, may the world learn the lesson of sacri- 
fice, and love season humanity's every act ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 21 



VI. 

IV TEONTU asked Zertoulem, What is Re- 
* ^ ligion? 

The Master plucked a wayside flower, and 
turning to Neontu, said : Perceivest thou this 
flower I hold in my hand ? How beautiful in 
form and color! And how exquisite its fra- 
grance ! Man with all his art and skill could 
not make one of these. It has taken Nature 
millions of years to prepare the conditions 
necessary for its development. Might we not 
almost call it the soul of the world ? 

Few there are who truly understand the 
nature of religion. Far too often the world 
takes the outward form for the real essence of 
religion. 

Religion is more than belief and its atten- 
dant ceremonies. 



2 2 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

It is the flower of the soul, whose expanding 
petals are Charity, and whose fragrance is 
Love. 

Like as millions of years were required to 
make the flower I hold in my hand, and Nat- 
ure broke and threw away many moulds before 
this flower came, so the soul has discarded 
many forms of religion that served their day 
and purpose, before the Higher Religion was 
found. 

The petals of true Charity seasoned with 
Mercy and Justice shall be for the healing of 
the nations. 

The all-abiding fragrance of Love shall ce- 
ment all races and peoples into one great 
brotherhood. 

Without religion the soul wanders darkling 
in eternal night. 

With religion it rises to celestial heights 
and basks in the light of the Infinite One. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 23 

As the body requires food, shelter and rai- 
ment for its sustenance, likewise the soul need- 
eth spiritual food. 

In the silence flndeth the soul the food it 
needeth the most, for there only is perfect 
communion with Omn. 

All that harasses and perplexes the soul is 
made clear, for the soul then perceives that the 
undeviating path leadeth to victory at last. 

Through religion is revealed the at-one-ment 
with the Infinite One. 

In its widespread and sheltering arms it 
holds the tired heads of all humanity. 

Over the troubled waters of restless ones its 
voice cries out, " Be still," and the waters are 
troubled no more, and the souls rest in peace 
and harmony. 

Here the tired and weary ones of earth find 
rest; and those who have been disposed to do 
evil are led to perceive the true light that in 



24 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

time will guide every soul to peace and right- 
eousness. 

Not creed, not outward ceremony, not pious 
cant, is that religion that leadeth to a more de- 
vout and holy life ; but it is the pure white 
flower of Charity, whose fragrance is Love. 

Hasten the day, oh, Omn, when man shall 
turn from the outward symbols, and the mam- 
mon worship of the hour, to the things of the 
spirit that giveth life, and to the acceptance of 
Charity and Love as the basis upon which re- 
ligion needs must rest. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 25 



VII. 

j\ TO longer is anything new unto me. Sur- 
* ^ prise never overtakes me. For back of 
all outward forms I perceive spirit, that pro- 
duces all things. 

I have stood with universes without num- 
ber; have assisted at many births celestial 
and have watched with calm, unwavering 
spirit the breaking up of worlds and suns 
into the formless chaos out of which they 
had their birth. 

Life is that which gives motion and unrest; 
being withdrawn all things fall into Not- Being, 
the formless, primeval chaos. 

Spirit and life are one — or, rather, life is 
the manifestation of spirit. 

We are told that there are mineral, 
vegetable and animal life; but these are 



26 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

all one, differing only in the intensity of 
vibration. 

The more rapid the vibration the nearer 
we approach to the pure white light in 
which Omn forever drapes himself. 

As in music vibrations determine the note, 
so in man vibrations determine the degree of 
spiritual growth and culture. 

Ask not the man of low vibrations to the 
feast where falls the manna of Heaven, for he 
is not yet ready to assimilate such food. 

Spread for him the rich viands of the 
earth, for he is of the earth, earthy, and has 
hardly risen above the vibrations of the min- 
eral world. 

Invite unto the spiritual feast those who 
knock at the door. 

Despise not those who are yet in the val- 
ley, and see not for fogs and mists the light 
and beauty of the mountain tops. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 27 

Remember, once thou mayst have stood 
where they are standing, and with feeble 
vision failed to pierce the thick clouds that 
were around thee. 

Unmindful of what others may think move 
onward, ever obeying the voice within, and 
nothing shall prevail against thee. 

What are the riches of the world com- 
pared with those of the spirit? Like as the 
flower perishes in a day, so these shall not 
remain after this day has faded into the All 
that Is. 

Poverty is more of a blessing than a curse. 
It is the fire of purification that sublimates 
and strengthens the soul, and prepares it for a 
fitting habitation of the spirit. 

At the gate that opens upon celestial glo- 
ries, he who was poorest in worldly goods 
may find himself richer than he who was the 
possessor of much lands and worldly goods. 



28 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Yet despise not riches, and turn not away 
from worldly possessions. 

Not the possession of these things con- 
demns the man, but the uses he makes of 
them. 

If he clings to these things that his appe- 
tites and passions may be gratified, then they 
become stumbling blocks along his path. 

But if he uses them for his own and others' 
welfare, they will become stepping stones to 
the higher. 

Each man's spirit must determine the uses 
to be made of all things. Obey the Voice 
that speaketh when all other voices are silent, 
and all will be well with thee. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 29 



VIII. 

SPEAK the universal language of the 
spirit, and in time all men will hear me 
and understand. The language of the spirit 
translates itself into all dialects. 

The stars speak the same language to all 
men, yet are they ever understood, for the 
truths they voice are heard of the spirit. 

Likewise the prophet uses the universal lan- 
guage of spirit. 

If he spake in one dialect his message would 
be lost to many men. But if he speaks in that 
which is universal his message is never lost. 

He strikes the chords of sympathy and love 
that must vibrate in time in every human soul. 

He does not stop to argue, but from the 
heights he has attained announces what he 
perceives to be true. 



30 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

He is above all controversy, and will not dis- 
cuss that which he knows to be true. 

Out of the many discussions and contro- 
versies of men come the Babel-like confusion 
apparent in the so-called sciences and relig- 
ions of the world. 

The prophet calls to his own, and his own 
know his voice. 

What if he dwells on mountain heights? 
He is not afar from the hearts and souls of 
men. For the spirit knows neither space nor 
time. 

He draws unto himself those who are led 
of the spirit to approach him. 

His voice unto them is like sweetest music 
and his words are the winged arrows of love. 

His thought finds lodgment in their souls 
and produces in due time the harvest of per- 
fected lives. 

The strongholds of ignorance and supersti- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 3 1 

tion are overthrown from within and not from 
without. 

The world throws aside its old garments no 
longer of service to humanity. 

Customs outgrown, rites once held to be sa- 
cred disappear simply because the vitalizing 
spirit is withdrawn. 

Foolish is the man who has no more profit- 
able labor than to batter down the old. 

Leave it alone and soon it will fall, for spirit 
is slowly but surely withdrawing from it. 

Speak boldly thy message to the world! 
Not as one angered with thy fellow-men, but 
as one whose heart is fired with love and good- 
will. 

Then shall thy words live in the world, and 
thy message become a living power that leads 
to good. 

One might as well find fault with the snail 
because he travels not with the fleetness of the 



32 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

horse as with the theologians whose eyes see 
no glory save that of the past. 

In time the snail will acquire the agility 
and fleetness of the horse, but it may be mill- 
ions of years hence. Nature does not cen- 
sure the snail, but awaits with patience its 
slow but inevitable progress. 

Then, oh, man, be possessed of the patience 
of Nature. Wait, and thou shalt perceive that 
the theologian has felt the thrill of eternal 
progress. 

If thou art a prophet of the soul thou shalt 
perceive what is to be, and the equanimity of 
thy soul shall not be disturbed by the slow 
progress of the world. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 33 



IX. 

T3 ISE, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 
* ^ Unfettered be all thy wings! 

Let earth's empurpled mountains fade upon 
my vision. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Let the great sun sink and fade from out 
the heavens. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Fade from my vision, oh, ye mighty worlds 
and suns, flaming with amber, and gold and 
purple light. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Past the great abysses of the formless and 



34 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

the void where suns are born and worlds and 
suns sink in their graves. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Through spaces limitless and heavens im- 
measurable I fain would wing my way. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Through circling spheres of light where 
spirits and angels dwell I still would cleave 
my way. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Past globes of dazzling brightness where 
earth's Messiahs live still would I wend my 
way. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

On, on, with maddening rush through 
trackless azure fields, thick sown with spark- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 35 

ling gems, on wings of love, oh, soul, pursue 
thy way. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Swift, oh, soul, be thy onward flight be- 
yond those white-lighted spheres where arch- 
angels dwell. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Behold where dwell the sons of God in In- 
finite light and splendor. 

Rise, oh, my soul, to still loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

With bowed and reverent head approach 
the centre where dwells the Infinite Omn, 
whose splendor, beauty and glory no artist 
soul can depict. 

Yet rise, oh, my soul, to loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 

Within thyself unfold all that thine enrapt- 



2,6 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

ured spirit has beheld. Put from thee all that 
is unclean and impure ! 

Awake, oh, my soul, to loftier ideals ! 

Aroused be all thy latent powers ! 

Let thy destiny as revealed spur thee on 
to greater efforts, to nobler sacrifices ! 

Be clean, oh, soul ; be pure, oh, soul ! 

Around thee shines the halo of immortal 
light ! 

Rise, then, oh, my soul, to loftier heights — 

Unfettered be all thy wings ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 37 



X. 

T PROCLAIM the gospel of myself. Be ye 
* not copies of me — but instead be ye first 
originals. 

The light, although it may still be beautiful, 
is weakened by reflection. 

Let the light that is within thee shine out 
through all the windows of thy soul. 

Repeat not the thoughts of others, unless 
thy soul gives sanction to their verity. 

Speak out what is within thee struggling for 
utterance. Not only speak out, but live out 
the thought within. 

Say not thou art too poor for this, that, or 
the other. Thou art rich indeed if thou livest 
near to thine ideals. 

And no man in all the world is so rich as he 
who lives out the life of the soul. 



38 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Be not content with the living of other peo- 
ple's thoughts. Let thine own life have an 
individuality all its own. 

Every flower in the field lives its own life, 
reflects its own thoughts, externalizes the ideal 
of the spirit. 

In the external life be like a crystal, reflect- 
ing the pure white light of spirit within. 

The Schools declare: Think as we think, 
and we will place upon thee the seal of our 
approval. 

Rather live without the approval of the 
Schools if to gain this prize thy reason and 
conscience are stultified. 

Let nothing stand between thee and the 
light of thy soul. 

Within the orbit of thy spirit revolve 
worlds, suns, stars, universes. 

Spaces and times illimitable are thine own. 
Then be ye masters of self. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 39 

Let not the soul be troubled by the discus- 
sions of the sects. Thou art superior to all 
sects, and the voice within will determine for 
thee what is right and best. 

Once having found the way, walk with 
unfaltering footsteps therein. 

Fear no evils, for what men call evils are but 
shadows of ignorance and superstition that fall 
across thy pathway that needs must fade into 
nothingness before the blazing light of spirit. 

Men fail only when they attempt in their 
lives to copy others. 

If thou art a musician, sink not thine indi- 
viduality in the composition of the master, but 
instead give it thine own interpretation. 

If thou art an artist, copy not the work of 
the master unless thou canst make it glow with 
the fervor of thine own soul. 

If a sculptor, make the marble speak the 
highest ideals of the soul. 



4-0 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Be no mere copyist in whatever field of life 
thou occupiest. 

Let the fervent passion of the soul be mani- 
fest even in the most trivial things of thy daily 
life. 

Seek not to be like Zertoulem and to think 
his thoughts after him, unless these thoughts 
strike responsive chords in thy soul. 

Then shall they awaken the dormant con- 
sciousness within that will reveal to thee thy 
true individuality. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 4 1 



XL 

UPHEAVALS toward perfection are met 
everywhere in the universe. 

Yet matter has its metes and bounds ; these 
are determined by indwelling spirit. 

As the child fashions out of wet clay vari- 
ous forms and gives to them names that suit 
its fancy, so do the Archangels determine the 
forms world-stuff shall assume. 

At the approach of these mighty geniuses 
the formless assume shape and the depths of 
space become vocal with the everlasting song 
of progress. 

Trace the history of one globe and the 
march of progress is revealed. 

All forms emerge from darkness into the light. 

Night hangs her sable curtains before the 
enchanted chamber of transformation. 



42 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Darkness ever hides the formless, and light 
ever reveals the radiant forms of beauty. 

For vast aeons of time was the world pre- 
paring for the advent of man. 

Myriad forms of life paved the way for his 
coming. 

Every form of life prophesied the coming of 
the higher. 

When man came, weak and lowly though 
he was, yet within his soul lay dormant infi- 
nite possibilities, and these declared his home 
from afar. 

While through evolution may have come 
the outward man, yet the spirit was not born 
through the gates of many deaths, but came 
from the heights or depths of the universe, 
leaving behind the shining pathway of its 
glory. 

Its mission to subdue and conquer a new 
world, to pass through struggles and experi- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 43 

ences, that in time it may hold within itself 
the results of all experiences. 

By devious pathways the spirit marches on- 
ward — its life here but one of its many ex- 
pressions, and, although much of the life is 
seemingly unimportant and trivial, the whole 
is essential when viewed from celestial heights. 

Ask not now the reason of certain experi- 
ences in life, but wait patiently until the reve- 
lation comes from the spirit within. 

Grieve not over the past, and sigh not fol 
lost opportunities. No opportunity that was 
really thine has ever been lost. 

Let the Now be the better on account of the 
past. Rise, oh, soul, out of all thy shadows ! 

He who spends his time grieving and la- 
menting over the past lets the golden opportu- 
nities of the Now slip by unnoticed. 

Arise, then : be not controlled and swayed 
by phantoms that stretch their hands from out 



44 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

the past. Be superior to all experiences, mak- 
ing all to serve the divine purposes of the 
spirit. 

If ye stay in shadows it is because ye will 
to do so. The sunlight is as much yours as 
any one's. Then arise, oh, royal soul, and 
claim it as thine own. 

That which is really thine no one can take 
away from thee. Thou mayst be deprived of 
chattels and lands, for these never were really 
thine own. 

But the fruitage of the spirit, the results of 
many experiences, thine inheritance from the 
ages, is thine forever, and none can deprive 
thee of it. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 45 



XII. 

JE who entertains the truly religious life 
*■ * and takes pleasure only in things spirit- 
ual has already become immortal. 

That which is gross and material is not for- 
bidden him, but instead he rises above it and 
it becomes repulsive to him. 

From the eminence he has gained he can 
never fall, because he has gained it by his own 
efforts. 

He will require less and less food for the 
support of his physical body because he draws 
more and more of his sustenance from the 
akasa, or ether. 

Through sublimation the outward is becom- 
ing more and more rarefied, and the spirit, 
asserting itself more and more, scintillates 
through and around the outward in an aura 



46 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

suffused with a blending of amethyst and 
topaz light. 

Through efforts of the will he arises to those 
heights where disease and suffering are known 
no more. 

The body is swayed by mental states as the 
trees of the forest are rocked by hurricanes. 

Let thy mental states be peaceful ones, free 
from anger, hate, selfishness and thoughts of 
disease, and health shall be thine. 

Thy power is infinite; then, why be con- 
quered by things which are inferior to thee ? 

Let them have no place in thy mind. Drive 
them out with higher and worthier thoughts. 

Think health, live in the atmosphere of 
health, and thou shalt be strong and well. 

Thought is the mighty sculptor that shapes 
and fashions thy body. By individual effort 
thou canst bring it completely under the con- 
trol of the will. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 47 

Learn the secret of concentration, and all 
that the soul desires shall be thine. 

Keep a fixed purpose in thy mind, and no 
matter how unattainable it may seem to the 
world, in time it shall be thine. 

Nothing can withstand the power of spirit. 
The soul possesses the power of drawing unto 
itself everything it needs. 

Sayest thou that the one thing needed lies 
afar in the depths of space, and thinkest thou 
the spirit cannot reach it and draw it unto 
itself ? 

Be not too certain of this, for the spirit 
knows neither time nor space. That which 
seemeth to thy finite vision afar, may be near 
unto the spirit. 

Not only does the spirit recognize its own 
but it calls its own unto itself. 

What ye would have, strive after, and in time 
it shall be thine. 



48 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

But the wise man strives after that which is 
good and pure, and these things become the 
bright gems that stud the crowns of immortal 
spirits. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 49 



XIII. 

LET not thy heart be troubled ; thou be- 
lievest in God, believe also in thyself. 

Think not I speak of the outward, the tran- 
sitory and fleeting, but of that which is as per- 
manent as the Eternal One. 

Thine own self is changeless, deathless, and 
in expression ever new. 

The expression is not thyself, more than the 
coat is the real man. 

Yet the coat is impregnated with the indi- 
viduality of the man. 

Likewise the expression hints of that which 
caused it to be. 

Beautiful, indeed, are the clouds at the rising 
and setting of mighty Tha. 

Yet are they but a feeble expression of the 
ineffable glory that caused them to be. 



50 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Beautiful, indeed, may be these temples 
which are one of the expressions of the inner 
self, but it is not for mortal pen to portray 
the beauty and glory that creates. 

Infinite are the possibilities of thyself. Dost 
think the works of art beautiful ? Genius has 
produced them all. 

What, then, is genius but the awakening of 
thyself ? 

Sleep, and the world sleeps with thee! 
Awake, and the world echoes and reechoes 
the voiceless song of the soul. 

Admire the sculptured form, the painted 
canvas, the evoked harmonies of the musician, 
and think that these may all come out of thy- 
self, even as they have come out of other 
selves. 

No genius has yet sounded the depths, nor 
scaled the heights of the soul's possibilities. 

Say not when ye look at the products of art : 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 5 1 

I would that I had created thee ! Rather, be- 
come thou the creator, not of what thou seest 
in the external world, but of that which until 
thou earnest this way had not been given out- 
ward expression. 

Thyself hast been stultified by the teaching 
of the ages. 

The cry has gone up from valley and moun- 
tain top : Conform ! Conform ! Paint as 
painted the masters. And even music, the most 
wayward child of human genius, hath been con- 
fined within the narrow walls of man-made 
rules. Only they who have scorned all rules 
have reached the heights and ravished the 
souls of men with celestial harmonies. 

Listen well ; be sure thou catchest the low- 
breathed intonations of thyself — and then 
voice them to the world. 

What matters it if thy voice is not heard 
amid the Babel sounds of earth ? If thou art 



52 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

true to thyself, thy voice shall still speak on in 
the world, and they for whom it hath a mes- 
sage shall hear and receive. 

Thyself shalt call to thee thine own. 

Be not impatient with others who fail to 
grasp the import of thy message, but still be 
true to thyself and speak right on, and thy 
thought shall yet help to shape the destiny of 
the world. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 53 



XIV. 

TJ OW unwise to say : How substantial and 
* * real is matter? 

For matter is only a state of that which is 
substantial and real, an expression of energy. 

Truly may it be said, matter is the appear- 
ance and not the reality. 

Matter is ever changing, assuming many 
forms. 

The substantial and real is unchanging and 
without form. 

The undying energy of the universes is with- 
out form or shadow of variableness. 

He alone establishes all things. 

He alone of all things is permanent, eternal, 
infinite. 

From Him all things proceed and unto Him 
all shall yet return. 



54 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

I do not say that it is unwise to study the 
external that ye may know something of the 
house in which spirit dwells. Yet, would I 
ask, Is it not far better for man to know the 
real than the appearance ? 

The child busies itself with blocks of wood, 
building houses and castles as his fancy may 

direct. So the man of science far too often 

busies himself with things of no greater 

value, those that belong to the outer rim of 

things. 

Would it not be wiser if he would seek the 
fountain-head, the source whence all proceed ? 

Yet, I would not be dictatorial, for each man 
must determine for himself the path he shall 
pursue. 

Some will ever choose the longer way that 
leadeth at last to the truth ; while others per- 
ceive the open way that leadeth straight as an 
arrow flieth to the coveted goal. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 55 

It is not necessary for them who perceive the 
truth to linger in the valley because the many 
are not ready for the journey that leadeth to 
the heights where Peace dwells. 

Once having fully recognized the power of 
the spirit, all power is thine to overcome and 
utilize the seeming obstacles of the world. 

What were yesterday thine infirmities may 
become to-day the source of thy strength. 

An error once conquered never shows its 
head to thyself again. 

Ye are all children of the light, and darkness 
is your abiding place only through ignorance. 

Be ye not obedient slaves to circumstances 
and conditions, but rise in the majesty of thy 
spirit, superior to all that hinders thy upward 
flight. 

Live in the Higher Thought thyself think- 
est — bask not only in the sunshine of spirit, 
but, in a measure, be that sunshine unto others, 



56 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

who are yet in the thick clouds of ignorance, 
and thou shalt rise higher and higher as the 
spirit ever wills. 

Then, to thyself there shall be no other 
thought, save that of peace and love ; and from 
out thine atmosphere shall melt all thought of 
evil and disease, as the fogs and mists melt 
from the earthly atmosphere at the coming of 
the morning sun. 

Then, in spirit find the mighty solvent that 
dissipates all clouds that have obscured the 
inner vision. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 57 



XV. 

FNTO the Silence, oh, soul, would I walk 
* with thee. 

Into that chamber whose walls are adorned 
with the unexpressed ideals of the soul. 

Here are thoughts that never yet were 
given outward expression. 

Here are poems excelling in beauty and 
grandeur those of earth's greatest masters. 

Songs sweeter and diviner than the incom- 
parable Wagner ever voiced to an astounded 
world. 

Here are thoughts more creative than those 
of the great philosophies and religions. 

For now we have crossed the threshold of 
the unexpressed. 

In the Silence characters are formed and 
developed. 



58 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

In the Silence geniuses are born. 

Out of the infinite depths of Silence pro- 
ceeds all that is. 

When I walk with thee, oh, soul, into the 
Silence, awe and reverence abide with me. 

For that which is formless, uncreated, ready 
for the Master fills me with awe. 

Stand I thus in the Silence in the presence 
of Depths abysmal and fronting immeasura- 
ble Heights. 

The waters from the great Depths sur- 
round me. Plunge, oh, soul, beneath the 
mighty surging waves, and come up out of 
them purified. 

Cleave with thy wings, oh, soul, the ethers 
that encircle the Heights, and be glorified 
by the light that glows and plays forever 
above their summits. 

Into the Silence and commune with self; 
find there thy mission in the world. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 59 

There let the message come to thee that 
thou shalt give unto those who have become 
seekers after the light. 

Into the Silence, oh, soul, and there find 
the glowing pathway of the spirit. 

Humble though thy work may be, lowly 
thy mission in the world, in the Silence 
thou shalt learn its meaning, and thy soul 
shall be content to labor and to wait. 

In the Silence great truths shall come to 
thee and thy soul be blessed with the rich 
increase of celestial knowledge. 

In the Silence all perplexities shall vanish, 
all troubles shall cease, all sorrow be as- 
suaged. 

In the Silence the clouds shall lift, and the 
light that is ineffable encompass thy soul. 

In the Silence thy soul shall find its own, 
and commune with the loved in the voiceless 
language of the soul. 



60 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

From the Silence, oh, soul, thou shalt re- 
turn, seeking no longer far and wide thy 
mission in the world, for the message of 
thyself in glowing and burning eloquence 
speaks in thine every act. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 6 1 



XVI. 

ONE asked the Master: What shall be 
the nature of our homes in the world 
of the Lomkatos? 

Just then Zertoulem came near to a shallow 
pool of water, and he stooped and picked up 
a pebble from his path and cast it into the 
water, and it sank out of sight in the slimy 
ooze at its bottom. 

Then he turned toward the one who asked 
the question and replied as follows : 

Behold, how the stone cast from my hand 
into the pool makes for itself a place in the 
slime and ooze under the water. Ye might at 
first think that my hand gave it the bed in 
which it should lie, but this is so only in 
seeming. My hand imparted the force that 
hurled the stone into the water, but the stone 



62 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

formed and shaped its own bed. The stone 
was spherical in shape and the bed in which it 
lies adapted itself to the shape of the stone. 
If the stone had been rough or angular in 
shape, its abiding place would have been the 
same. 

Now, it was neither my hand, nor the force 
behind the hand that shaped the bed in which 
the stone lies. But, as ye can readily per- 
ceive, it was the stone that shaped its own 
bed. 

Now, in speaking of the Lomkatos, the 
superficial observer might say, Inasmuch as 
Omn takes the spirit out of the terrestrial 
life, he must of necessity make the home in 
which it shall abide. How unwise this con- 
clusion! Omn simply takes hence the spirit, 
but the power that hurls the spirit out of the 
physical body does not determine either the 
house or world in which it shall dwell. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 63 

If I ride in the chariot, neither the chariot 
nor the horse determines the direction I shall 
go. My spirit determines this and guides 
the horse and chariot accordingly. 

So is it with the Lomkatos. The houses 
in which they dwell are moulded out of the 
deeds and thoughts that gave prominence to 
the lives they lived here. 

Truly, we ought to be familiar with the 
nature of that world into which we shall be 
called to enter, for it has been builded up out 
of our desires and motives. 

Special acts have greater effects upon the 
bodies of the Lomkatos than upon the worlds 
in which they shall live. 

Desires and motives are the stuffs out of 
which their worlds are builded. 

A world undesired and toward which no 
strong motive draws the soul would prove 
most unprofitable to the Lomkatos. 



64 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

As the object of that life is not for sense 
gratification, but for intellectual and spiritual 
growth, it needs must follow close upon the 
confines of this terrestrial life and yet prove 
more fully adapted to all the soul's needs. 

Easy are the gradations that lead upward 
in the land to which they have gone. 

Well may it be called the land where all 
the desires of the soul are fulfilled, the land 
where the motives that underlaid the acts 
of the past become the stepping stones of 
the spirit. 

Each one of the Lomkatos becomes the 
architect of his own home. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 65 



XVII. 

THINK ye that life is not worth the living 
because it is a ceaseless struggle after 
the unattained? 

Because so many of thy hopes and aspira- 
tions fall to the ground seemingly fruitless? 

If thou thinkest thus thy view is narrow 
and limited. 

How know ye that thy hopes and aspira- 
tions are fruitless? 

May not their branches extend so far above 
thy head that their fruits are beyond the circle 
of thy vision ? 

Trouble not the limpid waters of thy soul 
with fear and doubt. 

Cultivate that faith that leads to belief in 
the divine possibilities of the soul. And when 
I say the soul, I mean thy soul, every soul 



66 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

that is. For these possibilities are not for the 
few, but the all. 

Life never can be a failure even in the poor- 
est expressed soul of earth. 

Even in the reeking haunts of vice and 
crime life is fulfilling its sacred and holy 
mission. 

All life is sacred, holy, divine, but much of 
life is as yet poorly expressed. 

As, in the world of music, not all are 
geniuses who touch chords that vibrate afar, 
so in the great world of the ordinary ex- 
pression of life, the movement is slow and 
sluggish — yet, even in the meanest, it is an 
upward movement. 

Sorrow, as well as joy, hath its mission in 
the world, for like the refiner's fire it purifies 
of all dross. 

Thy desires are not attained ! Thy hopes 
fall fruitless to the ground! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 67 

Stop, my child ! As much of life lies before 
thee as is behind. 

Why spend thy time in worthless grieving 
over the seeming failures of life, when eter- 
nity and all her years are thine ? 

That for which thou grievest to-day, to-mor- 
row, laughingly, thou wilt throw aside. 

Thy hopes dead ! Thy desires unattained ! 
Never was hope more alive than when clouds 
of sorrow come sweeping in upon thee. Never 
were thy desires nearer thy grasp. 

Through the pearly gate of sorrow the soul 
rises on wings of triumph. 

Hope is the bright star whose light gives 
the silver lining to every cloud. 

Struggle on, brave soul; be not overcome 
with discontent. Look up, for lo ! the morn- 
ing dawns upon thee that dispels all shadows 
that have dimmed thy vision. 

Be not led astray by the cunning sophistries 



68 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

of the world, the pessimism of the night that 
only points to chaos and to death. But follow 
the light within that points to the ultimate 
victory of knowledge over ignorance, and 
reveals good emanating out of all the evils 
of earth. 

Over all tired and weary hearts Peace shall 
yet fold her wings and Love shall lull to quiet 
slumbers, out of which the soul shall awaken 
into that serene and perfect life that fully 
reveals the true worth of striving and living. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 69 



XVIII. 

TJOW beautiful is Life! 

* * Radiant with the attributes divine ! 

How beautiful in its morning time, 

When the jewels of innocence and purity 
sparkle upon its brow! 

How sweet the prattle of childhood, like 
the murmur of the laughing brook ! 

Tireless its outgoing, and tireless its in- 
coming ; 

For the springs of life are near whence 
it is perpetually fed. 

Rosy-tinted are thy visions, for thy young 
heart yet knows no guile. 

Thy breath is as fragrant as the air of 
morning, for thou hast brought with thee 
the odors of innumerable celestial flowers. 

Indeed, thou art an angel from some dis- 



70 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

tant star. Earth is not thy home, only 
thy resting place for a morning and an even- 
ing of thy life. 

How beautiful is Life! 

Radiant with attributes divine! 

How beautiful in those days that give 
expression to perfected manhood and woman- 
hood. 

Reason, like a star, sitteth upon thy brow, 
and Love guideth the every act of thy 
hands. 

Thy limbs have the strength of giants, and 
thy body the beauty and loveliness of a god. 

Thy intellect scintillates afar its rays of 
light, for knowledge is the crown that graces 
thy brow. 

Thy feet are upon the earth, but thy head 
towers aloft where heavenly breezes are ever 
playing. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 7 1 

Indeed, thou art a god given human ex- 
pression, for in thee only that which is no- 
blest and best finds a lasting abiding place. 

How beautiful is Life ! 

Radiant with attributes divine! 

When the snows and frosts of many win- 
ters have settled upon thy head, and the 
outer shell worn so thin that the pure white 
light of the spirit permeates and radiates 
through it all, how much more beautiful 
than e'er before thou art become, oh, Life! 

Thy beauties now are all of the spirit. 
Thy life nearer the ideal thou hast ever been 
chasing throughout the long journey that lies 
behind thee. 

A ripened sheaf; yea, thou art indeed a 
garner house of divinest wisdom. 

The glory of a new day like a halo rests 
upon thy brow, and thine eyes are wistfully 



72 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

gazing towards the sunset for some sign or 
token that thy faithful spirit nears its home. 
The music thy soul hears is not that of 
earth, but of voices long lost to thine earthly 
hearing, calling thee to thy home in the 
heavens, the well-merited reward of a life 
that has been well and nobly spent. 

How beautiful is Life! 

Radiant with attributes divine ! 

With tear-dimmed eyes we watch thee as 
amid the glories of the upper ethers thou 
meltest from our sight. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 73 



XIX. 

THE Illuminated One is he whose spiritual 
faculties have all been quickened. 

This the one whose illumination is perfect. 

Of course there are many degrees of illumi- 
nation. 

One faculty may be quickened into newer 
and higher life while all the others remain 
in their natural or in a dormant condition. 

But when I say Illuminated One, I mean 
one whose faculties have been exalted or 
quickened. 

He, truly, is an Avatar, for all knowledge is 
placed at his disposal. 

Memory opens to him the door of all experi- 
ences in past embodiments. 

Oft-times he uses knowledge that has been 
brought from afar. 



74 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Think not that all the knowledge revealed 
through illuminated ones was acquired either 
in one embodiment, or while attached to one 
world. 

Spirit calls no world home, but has been a 
traveller from remotest time along an infinite 
journey. 

Yet, caprice and fancy play no part in these 
wanderings. 

Law controls all things, and order reigns 
throughout all universes. 

The life that is is willed to be by Higher 
Powers. 

What if some say, This is the only life, the 
first and last incarnation? 

Do not stop to dispute with them. Thou 
canst not make them see as thou seest. 

Wait, and they will grow to thy thought. 

But keep not thy thought to thyself. Utter 
it in world language and it shall vibrate on 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 75 

and through the world until all prejudice shall 
be overcome, and souls shall become respon- 
sive to its harmonious notes. 

Study thine own soul, ponder well its les- 
sons, before thou art ready to accept the 
lessons that others may offer. 

If thou art illuminated, thou wilt assimilate 
the food thy soul needs. 

Give raiment, material food and shelter to 
the physical body, but give the soul unmeas- 
ured love and knowledge. 

Open all the storehouses of Nature and 
wrench from her her time-honored secrets, 
ransack the universe if thou wilt in search 
of new truths, but if thou wilt only be 
patient and wait, these shall all come to 
thee. 

For the soul knows its own and draws all 
things it wishes unto itself. 

Be ye content with fewer things in the 



76 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

external world, and seek to draw unto thee 
the higher ideals of the spirit. 

But despise not the means that leadeth to 
the coveted end. 

Perform the duties of every-day life uncom- 
plainingly, for these may be made the step- 
ping stones to true spiritual growth. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 77 



XX. 

CALL no one great, unless I call all 
* great. 

Each fills his place in the great plan of 
Omn. 

Each has come at his own time. 

Some have travelled farther than others, 
have seen more, have heard more, have lived 
more than others. 

And some who have seen much and heard 
much may not yet have been aroused so that 
they can comprehend the meaning of all that 
has been. 

Not all that is within thee has yet been 
lived. For thou encirclest all things. 

I condemn not the thief, the murderer, the 
adulterer, no more than I condemn the wild 
beast for its ferocity. 



j8 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Thou shalt outgrow all things, poor troub- 
led soul. 

Are these things committed against thee, 
my brother? I grieve with thee, but I pity 
thee not. Rise above all annoyances ; it is 
possible for thee to ascend where these things 
shall trouble thee no more. 

I have come up through the ages, un- 
counted and untold. On many of the stars 
thou wilt find the imprint of my feet. Rest 
upon me ages and ages. 

Still on ! presses my indomitable and rest- 
less spirit. 

Long have been my sleeps, yet longer by 
far have been my awakenings. 

The memory of all, dim and illusive, save 
at the quickening of the spirit, is never pres- 
ent with me. 

From the star-depths stretch the great all- 
powerful arms that have upheld me ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 79 

For my coming great indeed have been 
the preparations. 

From star-dust to blazing sun all have la- 
bored for me. 

Tenderly all have cared for me, — the er- 
ratic comet has smiled upon me, and great 
stars have given me their protecting love. 

Room has always been made for me 
throughout all my journeyings. 

Rocked in the cradle of the universe the 
stars have sung my infant soul to sleep. 

Yet was that soul a child only in its ex- 
pression, for countless cycles even then were 
its own. 

On, ever on, has been its swift flight. 
And, as thou hast journeyed, angels and 
archangels have called unto thee from out 
the depths. 

I am the unmeasured, bent on an endless 
journey. 



80 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Try not to follow me, for do thy best to 
keep my track, I shall ever elude thee. 

Blaze out, oh, brother soul, among the stars 
and nebulae thine own path. 

I shall lead thee, but it shall be unto 
thyself. 

I shall point the way, but it shall ever be 
unto thine own path. 

See, the mountain heights, purple-misted 
and indistinct in the distance, they stand 
ready and waiting for thy feet to sink deep 
within their virgin soil. 

Make delays if thou wilt, yet sooner or 
later thou shalt reach their summits, and thy 
soul exalted shall know the meaning of the 
thirst unquenched and the hunger unap- 
peased. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 8 1 



XXI. 

SING, oh, my soul, thy sweetest song! 
Strife is but for a day, while love en- 
dures forever! 

Over the miasma fields and swamps filled 
with dank and poisonous growths, 

Let its clear sweet tones echo far and wide ! 

Over the valleys richly laden with flowers, 
fruit and grain; 

Over the world's great cities, where discord 
and lust and strife are ever breeding ; 

Over the wretched haunts where the sun- 
beams never lick up the dews of night, where 
children live and work midst awful curses, 
discords, and fruits of riotous passion ; 

Send forth, oh, soul, thy noblest song! 

And let love's sweet sunbeams disperse all 
clouds of gloom. 



82 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Into prison cells, into hospitals, into re- 
treats, where'er dwarfed and stunted ones 
may dwell ; 

Into peasants' huts, into kingly palaces, 
into factories, where swarm earth's toiling 
millions ; 

Into the busy marts of men, where mer- 
chants bicker and strive for that which far 
oftener lays a curse than a blessing upon 
him who receives ; 

Into the great colleges and universities, 
where men oftener give their time and tal- 
ents to the acquiring of that knowledge that 
leads more to strife and disquietude than 
to that peace and serenity which is the goal 
toward which all wisdom leads ; 

Into the churches, where the preaching 
and the living far too often fail to accord 
with one another ; 

Into the great battlefields, hells of dis- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 83 

cordant notes, agonizing cries, and shrieks 
of despair ; 

Yea, into all places man dwells, where 
either peace is not, or love may not yet 
abide ; 

Send forth, oh, soul, thy noblest song ! 

For where thy voice is heard, no discord 
is! 

Not over the hills and mountains of the 
earth ; 

Not from star to star, where angels and 
archangels dwell ; 

Not up to the centre of things terrestrial 
and spiritual, where the ineffable light ever 
is; 

But on through abysmal depths where 
darkness reigns ; 

Through hells mundane and supra-mun- 
dane, where souls are struggling upward; 

Where the light is just beginning to pen- 



84 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

etrate, and souls lethargic, shaking themselves 
free from chains and fetters, awake to the 
first faint glimmer of that which is to be 
their glorious destiny. 

Then sing aloud, oh, soul ! 

Let thy voice be heard afar ! 

Send forth thy sweetest, noblest lay! 

Wake all the hills, and shake all the 
depths of earth. 

Yea, tremble, oh, ye hills, at the sound 
of my voice ! 

For thy doom is sealed ; hate and anger 
cannot withstand the all-conquering power 
of love that endureth forever ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 85 



XXII. 

NEONTU said unto Zertoulem : Behold 
how the people suffer! Go into the 
homes of the people, likewise into the great 
hospitals and asylums, and the sights thou 
shalt see and the sounds thou shalt hear will 
make even one like thee think the world is 
anything but beautiful. My heart is sad 
within me and my soul is sick unto death at 
what it has seen and heard. Pray, tell me, is 
there any way to overcome all this suffering ? 
When he ceased speaking, Zertoulem said 
unto him: Oh, Neontu, has all my teaching 
been in vain ? Have I not already told thee 
that pain and disease are to be conquered 
only through efforts of the will, and that back 
of the will lies the illimitable ocean of spirit, 
the source of all power? 



86 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Dost thou think that one may find a pana- 
cea for all human ills in the bottles and jars 
of the apothecary? That some of these things 
are palliative I most fully believe. But I 
would not look to them for the cure of dis- 
ease any more than I would look to war for 
the cure of the lust of the nations. Health is 
the natural condition of the physical body 
when spirit fully asserts itself through all its 
members. When there are obstructions along 
the pathway of spirit they must be removed, 
else will pain declare the presence of disease. 
Spirit holds the atoms of matter together; 
when it is withdrawn, disintegration com- 
mences and the atoms fly apart. The strug- 
gle of these atoms to obtain their liberty is 
what causes the sensation of pain. As mat- 
ter approaches the formless it becomes gro- 
tesque and repulsive in appearance. 

When man not only learns the way but also 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 87 

walks therein, pain and disease shall be known 
no more. 

Oh, Neontu, if thou shouldst suffer great 
pain, it would not be necessary for thee to 
have faith in me in order that I might relieve 
thee. The two things necessary are these — 
that I have faith in myself, and also believe 
that at my command is the exhaustless power 
of the Infinite One. 

Bear in mind, oh, Neontu, also this impor- 
tant fact, that if thou art the possessor of the 
pearl without price, faith in the divine possi- 
bilities of thine own soul, thou wilt never need 
other physician than thyself. 

Thou canst call unto thee from across the 
depths and over the heights All that Is. 

If this power was not thine, thou couldst not 
be a son of the Infinite One. 

If thou art that son, thy power can be no 
less. 



88 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

When the world accepts these thoughts and 
lives them, the way to overcome pain, suffer- 
ing and disease shall be made clear. Then 
the sons and daughters of earth shall walk 
forth clad in new garments of dazzling white- 
ness, for Truth and Love, Peace and Purity 
shall claim them as their own. 

Until that day pain and suffering shall not 
be completely overcome. 

Hold, oh, Neontu, the Higher Thought, and 
from thy soul, and also from all noble souls, 
let its vibrations stream forth until the last 
groan of agony shall cease and hells on earth 
be no more. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 89 



XXIII. 

T I THAT sayest thou, Neontu, that thou 
^ * hast fallen away from the Higher 
Thought ? 

Nay, nay, say not so, because it is not, 
cannot be true. 

Rather say that the Higher Thought never 
was thine own — 

For once thine, always thine ! 

If thou perceiveth the truth and graspeth it 
with the firm hand of ownership, thou canst 
not fall away from it. 

Never didst thou fully perceive the truth 
and grasp its full meaning, if thou thinkest 
that thou hast fallen away from it. 

Yet it hath not entered into thee and be- 
come a part of thy very life, for if it had thou 
couldst not think that thou hadst fallen away. 



90 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Thou hast only reached its outer rim, and 
thy senses have become intoxicated with its 
fragrance. 

When thoushalt perceive its inherent beauty 
and recognize its real worth thou canst no 
longer say that thou hast fallen from the 
Higher Thought. 

Thought becomes higher and higher only as 
its vibrations are intensified by the spirit that 
creates it. 

If its vibrations are sluggish it hugs the 
earth. If rapid it cleaves the ethers. 

Thy soul selects that which affinitizes with 
itself, and cannot fall from that which is on 
its own level. 

Thou dost not yet fully believe in thyself. 

Cultivate, then, oh, Neontu, a more thorough 
knowledge of thy soul. 

Know of its possibilities limitless and its 
resources exhaustless. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 9 1 

Do not read the limitations of the physical 
into the atmosphere of the soul. 

But read all that the soul is or yet may 
become into the physical. 

As the moon is ever faithful to the sun, 
daily receiving and transmitting its light, so 
should the body ever be true to the soul, 
receiving and transmitting its light. 

The soul is not fettered by metes and bounds 
— if thou dwellest in its world thy vision shall 
be limitless, and thy powers infinite. 

Give not to these thoughts merely the as- 
sent of the intellect, for that availeth little. 

But if thou canst receive them let them 
sweep through thee with all the power of 
conviction. 

Then are they truly thine, and thou canst 
no more fall away from them than the earth 
can fall out of the solar system, of which it 
is an integral part. 



92 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

It has been with thee, oh, Neontu, as with 
many others. Thou hast tried in vain to grasp 
the whole as a whole, before thou hast mas- 
tered its separate parts. 

Step by step, degree by degree, must the 
neophyte move forward until adeptship is 
attained. 

Through the gates of Meditation and Con- 
centration thou shalt proceed, until at last 
Truth's golden crown shall grace thy brow. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 93 



XXIV. 

r I ^HERE are so many opinions abroad 
* in the world, asked Neontu, how can 
one know the right? 

The Master replied in substance as fol- 
lows : There are many rights, and it con- 
cerns thee only to know that which is right 
for thyself. 

Be not troubled with the opinions of men. 
Thine own opinion is of more value to thee 
than that of any other. 

That which is right for thee to-day may 
not be right on the morrow. 

There can be for thee only one right, that 
on which the Now places the seal of its ap- 
proval. 

In thy childhood it was both right and 
good for thee to have playthings, but grown 



94 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

to manhood thou hast ceased to take inter- 
est in such things and it is right no longer 
for thee to have them. 

Yet there are many men who have not 
advanced beyond their childhood days and 
are ever content with things of the past. 

In science many men are content to while 
away their time in the study of the external 
universe, and never cross the border where 
Titanic forces are ever playing. 

In religion the masses care only for that 
which comes up out of the grave of the 
past. 

It is right for the man of science to deal 
with the externals until his soul is quick- 
ened into new life by the touch of all-per- 
vading spirit. 

It is also right for the devotee at the 
shrine of religion to bow at the altars that 
contain nothing but ashes of the past until 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 95 

his soul shall glow and flame with the light 
of the newer faith that proclaims Universal 
Brotherhood. 

That which shows thee the more excel- 
lent way is best for thee and is always right. 

Even in the midst of the confusion of 
the world thou canst always determine 
what is best, for that which thy soul ap- 
proves is right for thee. 

Each flower, herb and tree takes out of 
the soil only those elements needed for its 
growth and complete unfoldment. Each is 
too busy about its own work to stop to dis- 
cuss the other elements it leaves behind. 

Why not learn a lesson from the vege- 
table kingdom ? Out of the great mass of 
facts and theories offered in the philosophies 
and religions of the world, the soul should 
select those that appeal to the Inner Con- 
sciousness, neither accepting nor rejecting 



96 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

the remainder, but leaving them inviolate for 
those to whom they appeal. 

I denounce no science, no philosophy, no 
religion. 

One might as well kick with bared foot 
the wayside nettles ; they would not be 
harmed, but thy foot would be stung. 

I declare nothing is false for others. I 
only affirm what is right for myself. 

Then, oh, Neontu, test all sciences, all 
philosophies, all religions, by the light of 
thine own soul, and if they are for thee, 
are right for thee to hold, they shall be 
drawn unto thee, and no amount of dispu- 
tation can dispossess thee of them. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 97 



XXV. 

T^HE world declares, oh, Death, that thou 
* art cruel and relentless. 

That thy mission is to shatter and destroy 
all that it holds of the beautiful. 

That thou lovest to wound the mother- 
heart, and to rock and sway the proud father- 
heart with grief that will not be assuaged. 

That thou bringest to one common level 
those whom the world respects and loves and 
those whom the world styles its outcasts. 

That all hearts are vulnerable to thine ar- 
rows, and each form matter assumes must bow 
before thy stern decree. 

Speaketh the world wisely? 

Thy vision must be obscured and all thy 
spiritual faculties blunted, or thou wouldst not 
speak as thou hast spoken. 



98 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Thou art neither cruel nor relentless, oh, 
Death, for thy mission is one of love and not 
of anger. 

Thou art, indeed, the most beautiful of all 
the messengers of Omn ! 

Thou art not as poets and artists have pict- 
ured thee : old, haggard and terrible. 

Thy cheeks have stolen the roseate tints of 
the morn ; thou art as graceful in all thy move- 
ments as the fawns, and thy features reflect 
nothing more terrible than peace and love! 

Thy mission is not that of destruction more 
than it is that of re-creation. 

The golden bowl that held the prize of life 
is broken only that the spirit might find else- 
where a more glorious setting. 

The temple that had grown too small to hold 
longer its proud inmate has fallen — but there 
are other temples more spacious and beautiful 
awaiting the advent of the soul. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 99 

Oh, Death, thou hast given a broader lib- 
erty, a more glorious freedom to the soul. 

Thy door swings inward, noiselessly opening 
upon enchanted chambers radiant with un- 
wonted light and glory such as earth hath 
never known. 

Thou kissest down the eyelids in sleep, oh, 
Death, and imprinteth upon the lips the seal 
■ of immortality. 

Beautiful, indeed, at thy gentle touch hath 
been the awakening into newer experiences. 

Not, as some have said, into a new life, for 
it is the same old life that has unfalteringly 
kept its march through the ages, but thou 
hast simply brought it a little nearer to its 
ideals. 

Behold the great company with which the 
soul now stands! For the call of the spirit 
has been answered, and its own have come 
at its bidding. 



IOO WISDOM OF THE AGES 

New fields lie open before thee, loftier 
heights than e'er thy feet have scaled stretch 
on and on before thee, oh, soul. 

Death hath not robbed thee of thy treasures, 
oh, soul. All the good that thou hast done, 
all the noble thoughts thou hast expressed, 
live and are with thee still. 

Instead of Death thou shouldst be called 
Life, for thou holdest within thy hands the 
keys that unlock the doors of space and 
time. 



wisdom of the ages ioi 



XXVI. 

AM tired and sick of the cry, I can't do 
* this and I can't do that. 

The world cares only for what thou canst 
do. 

Show the world, then, that thou art capable 
of doing something. 

No man ruled by "I can't" ever amounted 
to anything. 

It is possible for the man who says " I can " 
to conquer and rule the world. 

Receive then, oh, soul, thine own message! 
Be true to its light and the shadow of 
"Can't" will never cross thy pathway. 

Art thou merely a creature of circumstances, 
ruled in all thy thoughts and actions by the 
stars ? 

Shame on thee, if such be thy thought! 



102 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Arise in the dignity of the god thou art 
intended to be, and rule in the universe that 
is thine own. 

Instead of thou being subject to the stars, 
they should obey the mandates of thy will. 

The sturdy oak-tree, sound at its core, is 
rocked and swayed by the hurricane that 
sweeps over it, but when the storm has 
passed, undaunted it lifts once more its 
branches toward the heavens. 

Thou mayst be rocked and swayed, oh, man, 
by influences both mundane and celestial, but 
learn to keep the equipoise of the soul. 

Many times thou wilt be disturbed by others 
even in the life thou art living. Remember 
thou mayst disturb others. 

Let these disturbances and these annoy- 
ances fall off from thee. Rise, and in the 
majesty of thy spirit show that thou art 
superior to these things. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES IO3 

Neither the pleasant nor the unpleasant 
things are the all-important ones in life. As 
results tower aloft above all experiences, so do 
motives become by far more important than 
acts. 

Trials are good for thee when thou art not 
conquered by them. They lift the curtains to 
many a window and reveal in part the work- 
ings of the soul within. 

Be patient; the universe was not made by 
thee, neither were the men and women in it. 

Let them alone, to either live their own 
lives or become victims of unseen vampires. 

It is enough for thee to look out for thine 
own life, for it is a most difficult thing to 
keep clear from all the snares that surround 
thee. 

Rise out of the realm of / cant into that of 
I can, and then shall all the divine possibilities 
of the soul be revealed unto thee. 



104 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Only truth should sway and bend thee; 
only the wings of love and mercy uplift thee, 
and only justice dictate thy course. 

Out of strife shall come peace, and out of 
the performance of the most unpleasant and 
unwelcome duties of life come rest to thy 
soul. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES IO5 



XXVII. 

[NASMUCH as the higher spiritual states 
^ are those of Wisdom and Love, so may 
the earthly states approach unto these. 

If thou art self-centred thou canst draw 
near unto these gates of Light even when 
thou art in the midst of seeming discord. 

It is not necessary that all men should 
behold the Light of the Love and Wisdom 
spheres that thou shouldst perceive it. 

One may know with the mortal mind and 
not perceive with the spirit. 

That which a man knows may never enter 
into his life of the spirit, but that which he 
perceives must sooner or later be incorporated 
into his very self. 

Knowledge is no more than a bundle of 
dry facts and the understanding of a few 



106 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

laws and their application in the realm of 
use, unless the perception of the spirit gives 
to it life. 

Perception of the spirit is an offspring of 
Love and Wisdom. 

Love and Wisdom are expressions of the 
one great underlying energy of the universe, 
which is known as spirit. 

Thus are we led to perceive in all things 
a divine unity reaching from star-dust to 
man, and from man to the highest expres- 
sion of the Infinite. 

In mortal conditions all that is usually 
known as Love should be called selfishness. 
Here too often it is expressed in favors, a 
kind of coin placed at compound interest. 

But there are times and instances when 
true love is manifested, for instance, as re- 
vealed in the display of heroism and sacrifice 
by the mother for her offspring, and, like- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES IO7 

wise, in every noble act and effort on the part 
of one for another. 

Love's fires are not dead on earth, although 
covered far too often by the ashes of selfish- 
ness. 

True love is an attribute of the soul 
that leaps upward like fire from the heart 
of the volcano, illuminating far and wide the 
night whose sky is overcast with clouds of 
hate and discord. 

This is a reflection of the Light that for- 
ever plays about the heights where angels, 
Sons of God, Messiahs and Archangels have 
their abiding place. 

And Wisdom is not merely the acquiring 
of knowledge, but also the understanding of 
its practical uses. 

The Wisdom Soul is not only the one that 
knows, but also the one who perceives the 
value of truth. 



IOS WISDOM OF THE AGES 

How many there are of the earth children 
who have simply buried themselves in the dry 
details of technical science ! 

How many there are who have gathered, 
analyzed and classified flowers, insects and 
fossils, yet know not their uses in the Di- 
vine Economy of Things, and, with equal truth 
it might be declared, know not of that Divine 
life that throbs and pulsates through them all. 

While mere earthly knowledge may be con- 
fined to the realm of physical data, Wisdom 
has its wings ever spread for flight into the 
realms of Cause and Use. 

Thus clouds are dissipated, difficulties over- 
come, and the pure white Light of Spirit re- 
veals the path that leadeth on forevermore ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES IO9 



XXVIII. 

NEONTU asked the Master: Why is it 
that I am affected by all individuals 
that come into my presence, not only men- 
tally but also physically? Some give me 
the sensations of peace and joy, while others 
almost completely destroy my equilibrium? 
It is not necessary for me to come into men- 
tal communion with people to be thus affected, 
neither is it necessary for me to come into 
physical contact with them. 

The Master walked some little distance by 
the side of Neontu before replying to his in- 
terrogations. All this time he was noting 
the change that was rapidly stealing over the 
physical body of his companion. When they 
met that morning Neontu's body was terribly 
agitated, as if all the chords of his being were 



IIO WISDOM OF THE AGES 

swept by a storm. But now all the nerve 
currents were calmed and brought under the 
control of the peace-loving Soul that dwelt 
within. 

Then spake the Master: A moment ago, 
oh, Neontu, thou wast restless as an untamed 
steed, but now thou art calm as a philosopher. 
These conditions have been brought about by 
the mental states of others. Thou hast seen 
some delicate piece of mechanism affected not 
only by every change of temperature but also 
by every passing cloud. The most sensitive 
and delicate piece of mechanism when com- 
pared with the human body is crude and 
unresponsive. Not only one but many spirits 
may cause this sounding board to vibrate. 
Ever the dominant chord should be struck 
from within. But through ignorance and 
lack of spiritual growth it is often struck 
from without. Therefore the body is often 



WISDOM OF THE AGES III 

swayed by other mental states than those of 
its own spirit. 

Understand, oh, Neontu, that everything in 
the universe has its own aura. Rocks, trees, 
flowers, animals and human beings, each have 
the characteristic aura. We have now only to 
deal with auras of human beings. The color 
and nature of this aura is determined by the 
mental and moral states of the individual. 
In the gross and sensual it is dark and 
repulsive; around the purely intellectual it is 
blue ; those reaching toward the spiritual, 
golden; and the truly spiritual, of dazzling 
whiteness. Generally speaking, no person is 
all gross and sensual, and no one in the physi- 
cal body at all times purely intellectual or 
spiritual. Therefore in the aura of every per- 
son there must be a blending of different col- 
ors. The predominating color determines the 
bent of the individual. In disturbed mental 



112 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

states the aura is disturbed. In anger the 
aura becomes dark and through these clouds 
are fitful flashes of flame-colored light. At 
other times love sways the whole being and 
the aura takes on the roseate tints of the 
morning. These auras extend perceptibly 
about three feet in every direction from the 
individual. But the sphere of their influence 
no one yet has been able to measure. So, 
Neontu, when thou comest into the presence 
of individuals of pronounced mental states, 
thou art affected by their auras. 

Protection can only come from within. 
Thou must be self-centred and self-poised; 
thy will upon its throne, and thine own aura 
well defined by deeds in keeping with the 
higher attributes of the spirit. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES II3 



XXIX. 

A S in the wild-wood there is a great 
-** variety of form, color and odor of the 
flowers we meet with, so is it with the auras 
of human beings. 

Some of the flowers are regular and beau- 
tiful in form, others irregular, and some few 
apparently distorted. 

So is it with auras of individuals; some 
are exquisitely beautiful in design, others 
very commonplace, and still others almost 
without form. 

Some of the flowers in color rival the 
rainbow, others are modest and nearly neu- 
tral, while still others are murky and dark. 

We have already seen that it is the same 
with the auras of human beings. 

Among the flowers there are those that 



114 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

emit odors that are ravishing and almost 
entrancing, others are pungent, and still 
others are repulsive. 

It is even so of human auras. 

The so-called criminal, brutal and sensual 
class emit odors characteristic of the indi- 
viduals, which are repulsive in their nat- 
ure. 

Many individuals of strong character, yet 
not specially inclined either to Intellectuality 
or Spirituality, emit a pungent odor possess- 
ing in no great degree either the power to 
attract or repel. 

The intellectually inclined emit an odor 
very similar to that of the modest little 
flower known as mignonette. 

And those highly developed spiritually 
emit odors that exert a magic spell upon 
all who come within the sphere of their in- 
fluence. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES I 1 5 

These characteristic odors are not of the 
outer, physical body, but belong to the 
sphere of human auras. 

There are undertones or musical notes to 
be discovered in connection with these auras. 

Those who have not yet awakened to the 
knowledge of the better-self send forth dis- 
cordant notes that ever fail to blend and 
to produce harmony. 

There are those who live quiet, peaceful, 
unassuming and unpretentious lives, the 
waves of whose auras are ever vibrating 
with low, soft and sweet melody. 

There are also those grand souls, ever 
struggling upward, ever breaking away from 
all restraints, ever promoting the higher 
interests of humanity, these are surrounded 
by auras vibrating with the grand, triumphal 
notes of victory. 

With physical eyes you may not behold 



Il6 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

all these colors and forms ; with physical 
ears you may not catch all these notes, — 
for in the universe there are forms and col- 
ors invisible to the physical eye of man, 
and notes either too low or too high to 
be heard by his external ears. 

These truths can appeal, then, only to 
the spiritually awakened, for these have both 
heard and seen many things all unknown and 
unperceived by those who have not risen 
above the valley mists of materiality. 

Then, oh, Neontu, let the real Neontu, 
not that which appears or seems to be the 
Neontu, assert itself, and thou shalt be led 
out of the world of shadows, into the world 
of light, where all things may be revealed 
unto the waiting spirit. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 117 



XXX. 

\/EA, Neontu, I did say, One Life throbs 
* and pulsates through all from star-dust 
on through man up to the Infinite, a kind 
of vital spirit making out of the infinite 
variety of forms a divine unity; 

Yet, I did not intend to imply that man 
was not more than star-dust. He is all the 
outer universe implies and infinitely more, for 
in external worlds there can be neither per- 
ception nor apperception. The star-dust of 
itself is not conscious of the existence of man, 
cannot reason with regard to things, neither 
can it grasp intuitively eternal verities, nor 
realize the power of Soul. 

There is a power within thee, oh, man, 
possessed not by other things. While the 
Infinite Omn breathes in and through all 



I 1 8 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

things, yet His majesty unspeakable is only 
revealed in the spirit of man. 

All else in nature has limitations. Con- 
sciousness, reason, intuition — these three 
reveal that which is absolutely limitless in its 
capacities and powers. 

The ignorant alone place metes and bounds 
to the possibilities of spirit. 

Thus far shalt thou go, is the command of 
unreason. 

Thus far canst thou go, is the assertion of 
one whose interior consciousness has never 
been aloft on the wings of intuition. 

If in thee a fragment of the Absolute and 
Real finds an abiding place, thou must of 
necessity be limitless in all thy powers and 
capacities, for the Absolute and Real cannot 
be composed of limited and circumscribed 
fragments. 

The true poet, artist, musician are prophet 



WISDOM OF THE AGES II9 

souls, that never bide the limitations of re- 
ligions and schools. 

New paths of light are opened unto them 
and they walk forth where mortal feet have 
never pressed before. When they return they 
bring with them the rich vintage of the 
spirit. 

The world, filled with self-conceit and 
blinded by ignorance, cries out: Our most 
sacred things are violated — our usages and 
customs ignored — these are but false prophets 
that needs must lead the unsophisticated 
astray. 

Hold thy peace, oh, brother, thou who 
dwellest in the valley, thou art not yet aware 
that the sun is up ; through the dense fogs of 
thine own pride and ignorance thou failest 
to perceive that the mountain tops are already 
bathed with the light of a new day. 

Only a little longer canst thou stay where 



120 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

thou art. Through the thick clouds around 
thee hands are reaching toward thee that 
sooner or later will impart a quickening im- 
pulse to thy soul. 

Light will yet break around thee, and the 
message of the spirit be made known unto 
thee. 

Then clouds shall disappear — earthly taints 
of anger, selfishness and distrust be super- 
seded by peace, love and confidence — and 
the Divinity within be revealed in its infinite 
glory. 



i 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 12 1 



XXXI. 

' r I ^IS well for every one to seek spiritual 

1 gifts, but it is far better first for every 
one to know his own spirit and something of 
its possibilities. 

First let character, the sweet flower of the 
soul, be well developed. 

It is to the man or woman what the per- 
fume is to the flower, a revelation of the 
soul-life within. 

The characterless man is always vacillating, 
never certain of anything. 

The man of character is far more stable 
than the rock-ribs of the earth. 

He is never swayed save by influences that 
lead either to his own or others' good. 

His voice is like the deep, rich, melodious 
tones of the organ. 



122 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

And through his whole life sweeps the 
rhythm of the universe. 

To such an one is revealed the Divine attri- 
butes of the soul, possibilities beyond the 
comprehension of him who dwells in the 
valley land of vacillation and selfishness. 

The gifts he seeks are above the plane of 
sense, and are not confined to those that take 
form and shape in the realms of materiality, 
but instead, pertain to the spheres of Wisdom 
and Love, therefore lead to the uplifting and 
spiritualizing of all humanity. 

He does not deny physical phenomena as 
gifts of the spirit, for they may have been 
the rungs in the ladder up which he has 
been slowly and painfully climbing through 
the lapse of years. 

But, as far as he is concerned, they have 
served their day and purpose. After a man 
has acquired a knowledge of geometry, cal- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 23 

cuius and the higher mathematics, he does 
not need to dwell longer in the realm of its 
first principles. He is far too wise either to 
deny their existence or to remain bound by 
the magic charm of their influence. There- 
fore he leaves the study of the self-evident 
truths upon which the science is founded for 
the neophyte. So ever must it be with 
psychic science. Those living in closest 
relationship with the sense-plane can only be 
reached through the cruder manifestations. 

That ye may not be led astray by these 
into snares and pitfalls innumerable see that 
thy reason is alert, thy character well de- 
veloped, and thy higher spiritual nature 
awakened. 

Seek ye the higher gifts of the spirit, but 
seek through living nearer and nearer to the 
higher and better self. 

If simply the doors are open unto the realm 



124 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

of sense ye need not expect to hear the en- 
trancing music of the spheres. 

Thou needst not stop to close the doors 
behind thee, for they close of their own ac- 
cord when influences from the realms into 
which they open cease to reach and affect 
thee. 

Be sure the doors are never closed before 
thee through thine own selfishness and lack 
of true spirituality. 

They of the higher spheres will minister 
unto thee, if thou in word or deed art worthy 
of their ministrations. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 25 



XXXII. 

ET no sound of martial strain be heard 
-" throughout thy world, oh, soul ! 

March not forth with banners flying and 
trumpets echoing afar. 

Let not, oh, soul, thy path be strewn with 
human wrecks and tortured forms. 

Let not thy way be o'er earthly battlefields 
gory with human blood. 

Let not thy onward course be paved with 
hopes and aspirations lost. 

Let not splendor of outward expression dim 
the inner light and glory. 

Strike, then, the grandest note of all, of 
peace and love to all mankind. 

Over all the strife and discord of the world 
then let this thought prevail — 

Peace, soft, sweet, like fleecy night-clouds. 



126 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Enfolding and enwrapping all in folds of 
perfect trust and love ! 

Light ineffable, glorious, all-potent, yet soft 
and silent as that of distant star, slowly, yet 
surely, lifting every soul out of the dark and 
dismal earthly hells. 

Angels, not blaming earth's wayward ones, 
but with tender, loving arms encircling all, 
rescuing from maelstroms of anger and pas- 
sion; supporting tottering footsteps along 
life's wearisome way, until, at last, the soul 
is quickened, and the master spirit asserts 
itself. 

Not the assertion of self in the merely 
outward expression of things through martial 
power, brutal strength, and accumulation of 
worldly goods. 

But that only real and true assertion of self 
that is forgetful of all outward expressions, 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 27 

resultants of power, strength, and worldly 
goods, save as they lead to the higher in- 
terests and greater benefits of the many. 

Light, dispelling clouds of ignorance, re- 
moving obstacles, overcoming difficulties, mak- 
ing smooth the path where human feet needs 
must press ; 

Light, revealing unto enraptured vision new 
earths and new heavens, homes of contented 
and happy beings; 

Light, making plain that which before per- 
plexed and troubled; 

Light, servant of spirits, angels and arch- 
angels, mighty and all-potent for human good 
when wisely directed; 

Lead thou our spirits on, 

From night unto day, 

From discord and strife unto peace, 

From selfishness unto that true love of self 
that can bide no ill unto others. 



I2tf WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Lead thou our spirits on, 
Away from charnel-houses of sin and death, 
From battlefields and dismal prison cells, 
From anger and hate's accursed fires, 
Unto that love knowing no my nor mine 

save only that which leads to good of all. 
Lead thou our spirits on, 
Oh, light, messenger of Tha and Omn, 
Through all the devious paths of life, 
Thick-strewn with many a fret and care, 
Until all clouds are gone, all strifes are 

gone, 

And burn forever upon the altar of human 

hearts the fires of love and peace. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 29 



XXXIII. 

r I "'HESE little jars and perturbations in 
* everyday life simply emphasize the har- 
monies of the deeper spirit-life. 

The All-Pervading Life that in time must 
overcome and master all things, in thy pres- 
ent life is only revealed by partial liftings of 
the veil. 

No man knows its depth and full meaning. 

For it is out of sight save when it flashes 
through the thick clouds which far too often 
enshroud the life of man. 

Much of the disturbances in thy life are 
caused by outside influences. 

That these may be avoided do not cut thy- 
self off from others, for thy life of life must be 
associated with that of others. 

Those that annoy and fret thee are always 



130 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

on a plane below thee. Intellectually they 
may be above thee, but always spiritually 
they are far beneath thee. 

Cut not entirely loose from them, and yet be 
independent in thy way of living and thinking. 

The light of thine own soul may arouse 
them to better things. 

Nature's forces are silent until the work 
they seek to do is accomplished. 

Say not thou art better or wiser than others, 
and, above all, pronounce not thy curse upon 
any one. 

If any one hath done thee an injury, do thou 
no injury in return, for the first will never be 
righted by a second. 

Poor mortal, thou art desirous of injuring 
another! Thou canst not afford to do it. 
The blow will fall upon thine own head with 
greater might than it does upon the one thou 
art seeking to injure. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 131 

Wouldst thou have friends in the world? 
Then be a friend to all men. Conquer thy 
meaner self, and let the spirit be more per- 
fectly revealed each day of thy life. 

Think not that thou shalt gain anything by 
striving to ride over others. Thy horses will 
balk and throw thee to the ground. 

Be humble, not exalting thyself above 
others, and the true glory of thy higher 
spiritual nature will shine forth, blessing all 
humanity. 

Then, if others seek to injure thee and 
put thee down, be not discouraged and 
disheartened. 

But let thine own acts be seasoned with 
charity, justice and love, and in the end thou 
shalt arise in the majesty of thy spirit and 
be glorified in the presence of the highest. 



132 WISDOM OF THE AGES 



XXXIV. 

OPIRIT not only moulds and shapes the 
^ physical body which becomes its outward 
expression, but is also vibrating in its every 
atom. 

If a part or portion of this outward expres- 
sion of spirit is loaned another individualized 
spirit, the original creator of that part or por- 
tion never entirely disassociates itself from it. 

In fact, the every atom called within the at- 
mosphere of the indwelling spirit reflects in 
greater or less degree the attributes of that 
spirit. 

Even when a member is loaned another, the 
personality whose vibrations are felt by the 
remotest atoms of the outward expression is 
never entirely submerged in the personality 
that usurps and controls the organ for the time 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 33 

being ; therefore, in spite of every precaution, 
it flashes across the pathway of the thought 
being expressed. 

But the spirit speaking cares little for this 
unless it may interfere with the expression of 
truth. 

Then, is it not far wiser for men to be seek- 
ers after spiritual truths than for the evidences 
of special spirit control ? 

I that indite these papers speak far oftener 
for the many than for the one individuality 
known as Zertoulem. 

What matters it whether the truth is found 
struggling in the mind of the medium, and 
is quickened into outward expression by the 
touch from without, or cometh entirely from 
an extraneous source? 

The all-important thing is the clear percep- 
tion of the truth. 

Truth owns no special country as the land 



134 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

of its birth ; neither the East nor the West 
can claim it as its own. 

Prophet-souls in every land and every age 
have heard its voice. 

Obedient to the message received, they have 
gone forth into the world as Heaven-sent mes- 
sengers. 

The truths they uttered in the long ages 
past have never been lost. 

No word, no wisdom is lost past recovery. 

Sigh not, then, over the esoteric wisdom 
of the past; if thou art ready for it, thou shalt 
receive it all. 

It has been seemingly lost because the world 
was engrossed in material things, and had no 
time for those of the spirit. 

Spirit needs no introduction to the ages 
past and gone. The ancient peoples are not 
stranger men and women to it, and the civ- 
ilizations of old are not unknown to it. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 35 

It is for me and you to press the hands 
of these people, to walk with them shoulder 
to shoulder, to read with them the records of 
their struggles and triumphs, to reap the re- 
sults of their civilizations, and to be exalted 
by the wisdom they possessed. 

And this exaltation, not because the wisdom 
is ancient and belonged to a peculiar people, 
but because the wisdom contained within it- 
self a spring of perpetual youth, and belongs 
neither to one age nor one people, but to 
eternity and to all men. 

It is for thee to perceive as great truths 
as the world has ever perceived. 

If thou wilt thou canst stand where the 
greatest have stood. 

Thou must lift the clouds that hang over 
thee. Thou must plant thy feet firmly upon 
the earth beneath thee. 

For it is not well to forget the needs 



136 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

of the outward, the external expression of 
spirit. 

A god dwells within; the house should be 
beautiful and clean. 

Through its every door should shine the 
ineffable light and glory of the exalted spirit, 
the inmate of the house not less beautiful. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 37 



XXXV. 

HE who sends the healing thought is 
doubly blest, blest in giving that which 
others need, and blest in receiving that 
which he had not before. 

Send forth no vacillating thought, freighted 
with the hope and trust for better conditions 
and higher things. 

Instead, let thy thought be charged with 
the positive currents of love that know no 
defeat. 

Hast thou not declared Omn to be om- 
nipotent and omnipresent? 

Believest thou this to be a truth? Then, 
inasmuch as thou art a part of the divine, all 
power centres in thee. 

Thou art circumscribed and limited only 
by thy denials. 



I38 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Ignorance builds up a wall that crumbles 
and falls at the approach of knowledge. 

So all difficulties fade and disappear when 
one arises above the sphere of denial into 
that of affirmation. 

When thou sittest in the silence to help 
or benefit another, concentrate thy mind upon 
the object to be accomplished. Be so de- 
sirous of doing good that no other thought 
shall possess thee. 

Be not so foolish as to deny the existence 
of disease, poverty and sorrow, but affirm 
the possibility of rising above all that clogs 
or hampers the spirit. 

Spirit, assert thyself! 

Arise! shake off all that impedes thine 
upward progress. 

Thou art creator of opportunities. 

At thy bidding all the doors of knowledge 
are opened. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 39 

There are no secrets Nature holds that may 
not be revealed unto thee. 

To the awakened soul there are no occult 
or hidden forces in nature. All are luminous 
with the light of spirit, and none are hidden 
save by the flimsy veil of ignorance. 

Every breeze that sweeps over the land, 
every wave that beats against the shore, every 
ray of light that cometh from most distant 
star, has a message for thee, oh, man, if thou 
wilt only receive it. 

Star-dust and earth-dust are one and the 
same, save only in the one the vibrations may 
be intenser than in the other. 

On earth varied names are given to the 
so-called primal elements, but he whose 
spiritual vision is quickened perceives that 
there is but one substance in all universes. 

Under all must be one, — that one we 
term spirit, the only substance. 



140 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Elements are the clothes that spirit wears. 
Hence all the varied forces are ever directed 
by spirit. 

If the individual spirit is both self-conscious 
and self-centred, it calls other spirits to itself 
to aid in its every beneficent work. 

A legion of spirits may do thy bidding if 
thy commands are wise and right. 

A good thought speeding on its mission of 
love and beneficence calls to its aid the powers 
of many wise and good spirits. 

Live above the atmosphere of ignoble 
thoughts and thy life will reflect only the 
noblest of impulses. 

And these impulses shall be made to live 
in the lives of others. 

They shall bring up out of despair, suffer- 
ing and gloom those who never before have 
felt or known the sweet sunbursts of love. 

In him from whom they proceed shall be 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 141 

wrought as great a transformation as in the 
ones they reach. 

He who gives the most receives the most. 

For angels are ever showering upon the 
head of the giver benedictions that are not of 
this world. 



142 WISDOM OF THE AGES 



XXXVI. 

REST, oh, my soul, not in the slumbers of 
the night, 

Nor in the idleness that far too often 
accompanies the day, 

But in the ceaseless doing of that which is 
right and good ! 

Out of turmoil and strife, thou shalt arise, 
oh, my soul ; 

And new courage and strength shall be 
given thee. 

Fear not to trust that power within that 
with ceaseless urge presses thee ever on- 
ward ! 

Rest and peace can only come to thee, oh, 
soul, through ceaseless effort. 

Sayst thou, the way is dark before thee, oh, 
soul, and thy feet have lost the way? 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 4 



7 



Nay, there are no lost trails, the path, 
though rough and strewn with obstacles, was 
thine own. The expression of thy life would 
have been incomplete without the discipline. 

If thou wilt only learn the lesson these 
experiences hold thou wilt find rest even in 
the midst of the trials that beset thee. 

Turmoil and strife about thee ! Thy soul 
engulfed with waves of discord and inharmony. 
Complain, if thou must, until the soul per- 
ceives that divine wisdom underlies every 
experience of life. 

I find no fault with thee because thou dost 
complain, for even this is required by the soul 
as it pursues its endless journey. 

Rest may come in the midst of all this tur- 
moil and strife, for peace shall abide with 
the soul when the meaning of all is made 
clear. 

Art thou bereft of friends and loved ones ? 



144 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Doth sorrow rest heavily its hand upon thine 
aching head ? And seeketh in vain thy tired 
spirit for rest? 

Thou art not left alone ! Thy friends and 
loved ones were never so near thee as now. 
All fetters broken, thy friends can draw nearer 
to thee than e'er before ! 

The sweet communion of spirit with spirit 
shall cool thy fevered and aching brow, and 
assuage thy sorrow. Thy heart bowed down 
shall beat again in ecstasy and love. 

Rest shalt thou find, oh, soul, in the midst 
of that sorrow that produces the divinest of 
communion between spirit and spirit. 

What more exalting and uplifting than 
the communion of spirit ? Not with outward 
words of expression, but in the inward sense 
of things. No word is spoken. Thought 
leaps forth unexpressed save in the universal 
language of spirit. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 45 

What ecstasy more divine than when soul 
touches soul, and spirit reaches spirit through 
the limitless expanses of ether ? 

What a thrill of joy that is not born of the 
flesh pulsates through the interior conscious- 
ness! 

Then thou art uplifted indeed ! Thou hast 
scaled the spiritual Alps, and caught glimpses 
of things unspeakable and untranslatable into 
the language of the world. 

Thou hast then, oh, soul, realized as ne'er 
before thy relationship with the One Eter- 
nal Omn ! 

Through all thy being waves of a new light 
have found their way, and rest, more perfect, 
more peaceful, than the soul has ever known 
before has come to thee. 

Then, oh, soul, rest not in the slumbers 
of the night, 



I46 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Nor in the idleness that far too often ac- 
companies the day, 

But in the all-pervading peace that cometh 
from the doing of that which is right and 
good, 

Thou shalt fold thy wings in perfect rest. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 47 



XXXVII. 

^ROM spaces inconceivable, from depths 
* beyond human comprehension, from 
heights incalculable, voices call out to us, and 
hands reach down, through and up to us. 

We are ministered unto by all that is. 

Our way is not solitary and alone, even if 
our path is our own. 

Innumerable the throng that attends us. 

For us the beauty of the morn, and the 
glory of the expiring day. 

For us the upheaval of earthquake and 
volcano, and the destruction that follows in 
the wake of the tornado. 

For us the distant star emits its dim and 
misty light, and the comet flashes with fitful 
glare across the astounded heavens. 

For us the herbs of the field, the proud and 



148 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

stately trees of the forest, and the humble 
lichen on the rock. 

For us every form of life that peoples forest, 
stream, lake or ocean. 

For us all movements, all rests, all strivings, 
all down-goings, and all uprisings, all emo- 
tions, all sympathies, all loves, all hates, all 
envies, all jealousies; in a word, all that is 
in part or in whole the expression of life, 
terrestrial or celestial. 

These all wait upon us, minister unto us, 
and we through them gain the discipline 
needed for the higher spiritual attainment. 

Then some might say, Why battle against 
the adverse ? Why strive after the higher ? 

Brother, sister, know this and thou shalt 
question no more : 

Vantage ground is only gained by battling 
and striving. The awakened soul is ever 
trying its wings. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 49 

The heights never come down to thee ; thou 
must ascend unto them. 

Omn speaks on and on evermore — yet His 
voice is only heard by those who listen for it. 

Not in the external shall its sweetest and 
divinest song be heard, but only when man 
withdraws himself from all that belongs to 
the outward, and centres his whole life and 
thought upon that which is more than shadow, 
more than blazing sun, or world teeming with 
expressions of life, shall the soul be flooded 
with music whose notes are the vibrations of 
the light ineffable. 

I would introduce thee to thy real self — 
the one very few in the world are acquainted 
with. 

Thou hast lived so far away from thyself 
that thou hast become acquainted with its 
feeblest expressions. 

Come ye nearer unto self — enter the holy 



I50 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

of holies — the citadel whence consciousness 
proceeds. Behold the God upon the throne ! 

The real knowledge of self shall throw 
light upon others and make it possible for 
thee to sense the mission of each life. 

Growth shall come from the possession of 
this knowledge, and through it shall come the 
understanding of the message that every ex- 
pression of the All conveys to thee. 

Through the darkness around thee shall 
flash the light that is not on land or sea, the 
light of spirit that ever lifteth to higher and 
better things. 

And in the interior consciousness shall be 
made plain and clear the real meanings of the 
adverse experiences and the strivings that 
enter into thy life. 

When thou shalt become submissive to 
indwelling spirit, all shall be full)' understood. 
For God knows all! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 151 



XXXVIII. 

IF others near thee in the sense-world annoy 
thee, shut them out from thy real life. 

The ego may drive from itself all conscious- 
ness of that which it does not need. 

The ego, the vital spark, that which is 
divine, dwells afar and apart from all that 
belongs to the external world. 

It belongs to the depths, and not to the 
surface of things. 

The imago and not the ego is incarnate. 
The ego builds for its creations houses, but 
these are not for itself to dwell in. One with 
the eternal, it is as houseless as the eternal. 

It is well and right for thee to live much of 
the time apart from others, for in the interior 
consciousness thou shalt find all that is essen- 
tial for thee. 



152 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Yet, leadings to this interior consciousness 
are necessary ; books, men and things may be 
necessary to lead thee to thyself, but the 
time will come when these leadings will be 
needed no longer, for the dewdrop shall have 
touched the heart of the lotus and be merged 
in its interior consciousness. 

He who walks through the world with his 
elbows in contact with other elbows never 
receives the leadings of the spirit. 

Spirit needs neither props nor outside influ- 
ences to make its mission known to thee. Its 
throne room is within, and only one can have 
audience at a time. 

Thou must go alone if thou wouldst receive 
its blessings and commands. 

Others cannot hear for thee ; others cannot 
see for thee; others cannot receive for thee. 

Spirit never calls two at a time. Its path- 
way does not admit of two walking abreast. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 153 

Through the same ethers and at the same 
times travel the varied forces of the universe, 
yet they never interfere with one another. 
Each is bent on its own mission. 

In this world there is plenty of room for all, 
and there will be no jostling when all find 
their rightful places. 

Yet, even as it is, the self-centred one is 
never disturbed. 

Only those who are trying orbits that 
belong to others disturb and are disturbed. 

Alone thou must be, and yet not alone, for 
the ethereal currents from interstellar spaces 
sweep around thee freighted with priceless 
cargoes. 

Influences are about and with thee that 
know not earth as their home. 

From all around thee Nature stretches 
out her hands encouragingly, and from above 
all power is showered upon thee. 



154 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Indeed, the favors of heaven are thine own, 
and thine associates kindred spirits from uni- 
verses unnumbered. 

Out of thine own sphere thou art hampered, 
cramped and besieged by forces, powers and 
influences that impede thy onward progress. 

In thine own sphere thou art the ruler. 
Even the stars, nebulae, universes lay their 
tribute at thy feet. 

Indeed, the golden crown, sparkling with 
jewels, brighter and richer by far than the 
earth affords, sits gracefully upon the brow of 
the king who has become the ruler in the 
sphere of his own self-consciousness. 

To him, all winds are alike ; all experiences 
as they should be ; all influences good ; for 
all yield unto him a subtle essence that giveth 
strength and power. 

None can bring evil unto him, for his feet 
walk the shining pathway of the spirit. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 55 



XXXIX. 

71 li Y soul is an hungered and it lifteth up its 
•*• * * voice to the angels, yea, even unto the 
Infinite, pleading for food such as earth giveth 
not. 

Every oracle and every book in the world 
faileth to give me the supply my soul needeth. 

These all give freely of what they possess, 
yet my soul hungereth and thirsteth for the 
food and drink of the higher spheres. 

The thirsty trees lick up the waters that 
fall from the heavens, and their hungry 
roots draw from Nature's breast sustenance, 
and they are satisfied. 

Yet, oh, God, my spirit is never satisfied 
with what Nature giveth, no matter how boun- 
teous the supply. 

Even the granite rock crumbles to powder 



I56 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

that it may feed the lichen that clings to its 
bosom. 

And the great deeps hold a bounteous sup- 
ply for all the myriad forms of life that swarm 
in their caverns. 

I thirst, oh, God, for the great draughts of 
light that flood the upper heavens, and I 
hunger, oh, God, for the ripe fruitage of the 
ages. 

Let me drink in the light that leaps from 
star to star, from universe to universe, until 
every chamber of my soul is flooded with un- 
wonted light and glory. 

Let the wisdom of the angels and arch- 
angels appease the hunger of my soul. 

In the midst of darkness, surrounded by 
clouds of sable, I cry out for light! I stretch 
out my hands towards the heavens and I lift 
up mine eyes that they may behold the glory 
of Thy creations! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 57 

Worlds without number burst upon my 
vision ; suns beyond human calculation flash 
and flame along the Eternal Ways. 

Beneath all is dark, above all is light. 
Then, oh, my soul, be lifted up into realms 
celestial ! 

Let that calmness and peace steal over thee 
that the world on account of its passion and 
ignorance fails to receive. 

As I cry out, voices from out the silence 
answer the voiceless cry of the spirit. 

As I stretch out my hands the very heavens 
reach down toward me. 

As I lift up mine eyes, lo, the heavens are 
ablaze with light for my spirit. 

Truly may I cry out : 

All, all that is, is for me ! 

The spaces are for me, 

The light is for me, and 

The Voiceless Silence mine own ! 



158 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Blessed indeed am I, for all blessings are 
for me. If one helps my brother or sister, I 
am likewise helped. 

Even in the remotest corner of the world a 
deed of kindness done unto the humblest of 
the children of men is done unto me. 

Every good act, every good thought, no 
matter when or where uttered, blesses me. 

I am not so narrow as to be blessed only by 
that which is done directly to me, but so broad 
that the universe alone is large enough for me, 
therefore, whatsoever of the good the universe 
holds touches me somewhere. 

In me blend all races ! 

In me smoulder the loves and the aspira- 
tions of every age. 

In me, the orator, the poet, the philosopher, 
the artist, the musician, the seer, the prophet — 
all either are now or have been expressed. 

When I cry out for light, it is not so much 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 59 

for myself as for others, for the blessing comes 
not so much in the receiving as in the giving. 

Like a crystal reflect all light that comes to 
thee, and then shall the light of thine own soul 
become more and more brilliant. 



l6o WISDOM OF THE AGES 



XL. 

THE hills of earth rejoice, yea, the moun- 
tains shake their hoary heads with joy; 

For a new religion is born unto the sons 
of men. 

It is mightier by far than all other religions, 
for incorporated into it is the life of all. 

The awakening of the real self has made 
this religion possible. 

At present it only appeals unto the few 
whose souls are rilled with divine fervor, but 
on the morrow, when the multitude awake 
from their long sleep, it shall appeal unto 
all. 

Out of the peace and harmony of souls 
recognizing the real self and dwelling in the 
atmosphere of its consciousness must this 
religion spring forth. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES l6l 

These are the ones who recognize the 
beauty of truth as a whole and not simply 
in its fragmentary form. 

The great ethnic religions contain only 
fragments of the truth. But these fragments 
are so beautiful that man has mistaken them 
for the whole truth. 

Truth never dies, neither does it grow old; 
although changeless as the Eternal One, its 
aspects are ever changing. 

The form it assumes is ever suited to the 
age in which it is presented. 

Every religion that has outlived the age in 
which it was given to the world contains some 
fragment of truth of value to mankind. 

If one searches long and patiently he may 
find this fragment of truth in every religion 
that still persists in the world. 

In order that his researches may be re- 
warded he must be able to give a spiritual 



1 62 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

interpretation to the symbols and ceremonies 
associated with each and every form of 
religion. 

Nothing lives in vain, and there must be a 
reason for all these religions living on in the 
world. 

Truth being in all, the reason is found in 
the persistency of truth. 

Now the world has waited long for a great 
cosmic religion that should absorb all the 
truth of the ages. 

Not only has the world waited long for a 
religion that should absorb all truth, but also 
for a new setting of the truth that will adapt 
it to the intellectual, moral and spiritual 
demands of each and every age. 

It has also waited for a religion that would 
appease the heart hunger of all ages, and also 
one that would contain within itself a fountain 
of perpetual inspiration. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 63 

Such a religion needs must be the centre of 
the thought and life of the world. 

It must touch the humblest life as well as 
the most exalted. 

Under its brooding wings even the meanest 
may find shelter and the way that leadeth at 
last unto peace. 

To possess this religion in its fulness one 
must be able to find the oneness of self with 
the Infinite. 

When he senses this royal kinship of the 
soul, he can cry out, I am not of this outward 
physical body, therefore birth, suffering, sen- 
sual attractions, death, are not mine, since I 
am as eternal and changeless as Omn ! 

This, the triumphant note of freedom that 
has rung down through the ages, heard and 
realized in its fulness by every awakened one 
of earth. 

What Messiahs and sons of God have heard 



164 . WISDOM OF THE AGES 

and realized all earth shall hear, and all her 
sons and daughters realize. 

Not only do the hills of earth rejoice and 
the mountains shake their hoary heads, but 
all its plains and valleys vibrate with the new 
song of freedom at the birth of a religion that 
lifteth all, and not merely a few, into the reali- 
zation of true manhood. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 65 



XLI. 

PHE Master continued: The new religion 
* lightens every labor and will give rest 
to the weary ones of earth. 

Does it not also reveal the fact that much 
of the labor of the world is both unneces- 
sary and a hindrance to man's true spir- 
itual growth ? 

Under the influence of this religion man 
should be led to want fewer things that be- 
long to the external world, and only those 
things that conduce to the growth of his 
spiritual nature. 

Under the new order of things works of 
art shall no longer be considered as either 
superfluities or luxuries simply to adorn the 
homes of wealth. 

For then everything made by man will 



1 66 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

be a work of art. There can be no valid 
excuse for the existence of that which is 
ugly. 

The time will come when it will be an 
unpardonable sin to create that which is 
not a work of art. 

Man's labor becomes irksome only when 
he is forced to create that which is distaste- 
ful to him. 

When everything that falls from his hands 
is a thing of beauty, his labor becomes one 
of love, and never rests heavily upon him. 

Both the monotony and drudgery of every- 
day life oppress him. 

Rest comes not in ceasing from labor, but 
from the doing of that which gives joy and 
satisfaction to the real self. 

The new religion, taking a deep interest 
in the welfare of all mankind, seeks through 
art to elevate all. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 67 

In every one it reveals the God within, 
but, alas, too often looking out through 
stained-glass windows. 

In time the stains shall all be removed 
from the windows, and then the real self 
in all its beauty shall stand revealed. 

Until man's earthly condition is greatly 
improved we must look for spiritual illumi- 
nation only in the few. 

So long as man is looked upon merely as 
an animal, with no life save that of the 
physical, these conditions cannot be greatly 
altered. 

All reform starts in the realm of the spir- 
itual, and there, also, is found the greatest 
battleground of the opposition. 

Not only the recognition of man's spirit- 
ual nature is a necessity of the hour, but 
also the recognition of the source of oppos- 
ing forces and elements that antagonize 



1 68 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

everything that leads to the betterment of 
his condition. 

The wise men, or seers, of Tlaskanata held 
that there were seven distinct and separate 
parts which united formed a human being. 
Commencing at the outward and proceeding 
towards the centre these parts arrange them- 
selves after this plan : 

i. The Physical Body. 

2. The Vital Spark, or Life. 

3. The Ethereal Form. 

4. The Double Self, or, Will and Emo- 
tions. 

5. The Mind — the home of Thoughts, 
Ideas, and Associations. 

6. The Soul — that which as an Indi- 
viduality is unaffected by death. 

7. The breath of Omn. 

In the self-centred one these separate parts 
are blended into the most perfect harmony. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 69 

The esoteric, or inner, meaning of religion 

stands revealed only unto those who realize 

this perfect harmony. 

Those who are loaded down with the 
degrees of universities are generally too 

heavily weighted with the refuse ballast of 

the ages to rise to that altitude of soul-life 

where the secrets of Nature and of man 

alike are revealed. 



170 WISDOM OF THE AGES 



XLII. 

A GAIN the Master spake concerning re- 
^ *- ligion as follows: Yea, I did say, oh, 
Neontu, that man had drifted away from God, 
and it was the purpose of religion to show him 
the trail that leadeth to the source of all 
wisdom and truth. 

Man living in the sense-world is always in 
the midst of delusions. He lifts one veil from 
the face of Nature only to find another con- 
fronting him. 

One mystery is made plain only to reveal a 
more inexplicable one. 

Man will ever seek in vain in the realm of 
sensation for the cause of things. 

Here he will find an infinite variety of forms 
— but the maker of these forms is ever out of 
sight. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 17I 

That which eludes his grasp on the plane 
of sensation may be easily discovered on the 
astral and spiritual planes. 

According to Tlaskan philosophy, the first 
four of the parts entering into the composition 
of man belong to the world of sensation, while 
the last three belong to the higher spiritual 
planes of thought and life. 

By means of the first four parts he takes 
hold of the material side of the universe. 
These unite him with all mineral, vegetable 
and animal forms of life in all universes. 

The transitory and delusive are ever weav- 
ing their web with finer and finer meshes 
around him. 

Even the will is rocked and swayed by the 
emotions that oft-times have their birth in the 
realm of physical sensation. 

It is a difficult task to classify the emotions, 
yet they may be readily divided into two great 



172 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

divisions. Those dominated by the passions 
may be known as physical emotions ; those 
under the control of the higher attributes of 
the mind as love and wisdom emotions. 

When the will is under the control of the 
physical emotions, or is hampered by these 
emotions, then man drifts away from all knowl- 
edge or conception of the Infinite. 

When under the control of love and wisdom 
emotions he is led to perceive his relationship 
with the Divine. 

It is the office of religion to cultivate these 
higher emotions, and thus lead man to the 
consciousness of his divine relationship. 

But this consciousness can only come to the 
spiritually awakened. 

Physical man can only know the manifesta- 
tions of the absolute — but the soul may know 
the absolute, because in the soul the Breath 
of Omn, calm and steady in rhythmic vibra- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 73 

tions, is ever ebbing and flowing like the tides 
of the sea. 

Religion divested of all creedal associations 
will yet lead man to the realization of the higher 
self within, its relationship with the Infinite, 
and its possibility not only to conceive an ideal 
humanity, but also to bring about in the 
external world this long desired event. 

Love is the only creative force of the 
universe with which religion deals. Love 
alone hath within itself the power to redeem, 
lift up and enlighten the world. Its fire once 
kindled upon the altar within burns on and 
on forever. From this fire religion borrows 
the Light that shall yet illuminate the whole 
world. 



174 WISDOM OF THE AGES 



xliii. 

[ OW strange that thou, Neontu, shouldst 
* * ask concerning the moral code of the 
new religion ! For have I not again and 
again tried to make plain unto thee that ethi- 
cal codes were of little value, because they can 
never usurp the place of that higher law 
known as that of conscience ? While we may 
teach that right thought engenders right 
speech and right living, yet is it impossible to 
present a rule which followed by every man 
shall bring about such desired ends. 

Each man must become a law unto himself. 
And when he recognizes that all strength and 
power comes from the Eternal then shall be 
revealed unto him the true path that leadeth 
to personal purity and righteousness. 

Indeed, he has followed the true path a long 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 75 

way when he has learned that the consequence 
of every act must rest upon himself, and that 
no power will relieve him of this consequence. 

The moral realm is as much the domain of 
cause and effect as is the physical realm. 

Here no mediator stands ready to brush 
away the effects of long antecedent causes. 

It may take many incarnations before these 
effects are all outgrown. 

If ye sow the seeds of the distorted and 
spiny cactus ye cannot hope to see grow up 
out of the earth the graceful and well-propor- 
tioned tree. So must it ever be in thine every- 
day life. Love, wisdom and purity alone give 
strength of character and right expression to 
thine every act. 

If man desires that which is good and true 
he will grow in no other direction. 

If his desires are base, false and selfish his 
whole life will become either weak and vacil- 



176 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

lating or lashed into fury by the wild, boister- 
ous waves of anger and passion. 

Spiritual growth comes only when man is 
in most perfect harmony with all Nature — for 
then only can the better self be awakened. 

If I were to give thee, oh, Neontu, one law 
to govern all the acts of thy life, it would be 
this : 

Ever prove true to the light within ! 

What the soul affirms, as I have before 
stated, alone is right for thee. 

The acts of thv life must conform to the 
dictations of the interior monitor. 

The external should reflect the emotions, 
the hopes, and the aspirations of the higher 
nature. 

When this is so thou shalt stand near to an 
immortality that is freed from the physical 
world. 

To-day thou art suffering the consequences 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 77 

of acts in previous embodiments. In a great 
measure thou art the maker of thine own 
future. 

All evil deeds must be expiated; all wrongs 
must be righted, for there is no forgiveness 
of SIN. 

Thou art both thine own judge and exe- 
cutioner. 

Yet there is no escape for thee. The judge 
will be impartial and just, and the execu- 
tioner will see that the sentence is duly car- 
ried out. 

Then, is it not wiser for thee to cease thy 
mad, impetuous rush through life, and allow 
prudence and caution to exercise their be- 
nign influences over thine every act? 

Through the gateway of thy new birth let 
not dark shadows stream forth from the 
tombs of the past. 

Instead, may the golden beams radiating 



178 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

from noble acts and impulses make the smiles 
and laughter of the newborn prophetic of the 
incarnation upon which it is just entering. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES I 79 



XLIV. 

1VTATURE unbosoms all her secrets to the 
^ ^ votary at her shrine. 

But when the crude and materialistic ap- 
proach, they find thick veils interposing be- 
tween their eyes and spiritual realities. 

To the physical scientist the spiritual side 
of Nature needs must remain a terra incognita, 
so long as he seeks to explain all phenomena 
by means of physical laws. 

Simply because a man fails to understand 
the occult side of Nature, that is no reason why 
he should deride and ridicule those who have 
seen the light and know whence it cometh. 

The wise man ridicules no one ; accepts 
what appeals to his spiritual and intellectual 
nature, and leaves the rest for those who can 
make use of it. 



l8o WISDOM OF THE AGES 

To him Nature seems broken up into is- 
olated points until the spiritual, that which 
unites them all into one perfect whole, stands 
revealed. 

In order that one may have a correct appre- 
hension of truth, it is necessary to know what 
has been as well as what now is, and also un- 
derstand the rationale of the whole. 

The problem of life will never be solved by 
investigations conducted solely on the physical 
plane. 

Truly may it be said, only to the seer or 
mystic does the grain of sand unbosom all its 
secrets. 

He who listens to the myriad voices of Nat- 
ure patiently and long will be rewarded by 
hearing the low, soft, sweet undertone which 
is the voice of indwelling spirit. 

Having heard the voice and interpreted its 
message, the man must become all that it im- 



WISDOM OF THE AGES l8l 

ports before he can gain that freedom from 
animality that leads to true spirituality. 

To him the gates of other worlds shall fly 
open, and the soul travel at will amid the 
splendors and glories of the Upper Worlds. 

Not merely the thinking and the knowing 
that a thing is so, but the being that very 
thing gives this power to the soul. 

Not all who knock at the temple and cry 
out, " Lo, I am here ! Open unto me ! " shall be 
received. 

They only who have met and conquered the 
adverse experiences in life, and who have come 
up out of deep sorrows and the bitterest of 
tribulations, shall be admitted to the inmost 
mysteries. 

These are they whose footprints are visi- 
ble along the shores of time, whom the ages 
have crowned with the laurel wreath of the 
victor. 



1 82 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Indeed are they worthy of all truth, for they 
have been weighed in the balances of the ages, 
and have not been found wanting. 

Thorns have pierced their brows, sharp 
stones their feet, envy and malice their souls. 

Yet they have proven true to the light 
within; have ever obeyed the mandates of 
the spirit; have ministered to the poor and 
lowly ; have bound up aching and bleeding 
hearts; and have caused the light of love to 
illuminate many a darkened pathway. 

From the heights the angels cry out: Hail, 
all hail ! Immortal and deathless soul ! Thou hast 
completed the task, henceforth only the perfect 
form shall be thine own! Thou shalt blaze 
like a star at midnight, and thy light shall be 
like that of a beacon along the darksome way 
of so many human lives. Pursue thine ever 
onward journey from star to star, from uni- 
verse to universe ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 83 



XLV. 

FN vision of the spirit I beheld the man 
* that is to be ! 

He who wearily had climbed up through 
the ages until he had reached the summit of 
physical development. 

Beneath him lay Error's mangled form and 
by its side that of Selfishness. 

All the passions were under the control of 
the magic wand of Reason. 

And even the emotions which to-day rock 
and sway the strongest of men bowed in 
humble allegiance to the indwelling con- 
sciousness. 

No longer a creature of circumstances and 
a prey to the unseen vampires of the ethereal 
realms, for the inmate of this perfected form 
had become master of himself. 



184 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

In the man of the yet-to-be, the spiritual 
nature in its unfoldment will always be in 
advance of the development of the physical. 

All outward things are correspondences or 
results of things that are of the spirit — 
therefore the physical state is determined 
from within. All growth is from the centre 
toward the circumference, and man's physical 
body is not an exception to this law that 
obtains throughout all universes. 

One of the most marvellous manifestations 
of spirit-power is presented in the physical 
development of this man. 

Here the house will always indicate the 
nature and attributes of its inmate. 

The mind encased in the physical body 
can hardly conceive of anything more beau- 
tiful than the perfected physical body, through 
which at times flashes the light of indwell- 
ing spirit. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 85 

Well may this house be termed a temple 
fit for the habitation of Omn ! 

Fresh from the Master's hands, perfect in 
the adjustment of all its parts, it throbs and 
pulsates with the all-pervading light that is 
eternal ! 

The fire that ever burns upon the altar 
of the soul has been kindled by the hand of 
Omn, and shall die out only when Omn 
ceases to glow and burn as the central fire 
of all universes. 

Beneath his feet smoulder the fires of 
earthly lust, greed and selfishness, but over 
his head, like a coronet fit for an immortal 
god, glow forevermore the stars of Faith, 
Hope and Love. 

Faith in all the true, beautiful and good 
time has gathered up as his most sacred 
treasure ; 

Hope, kindling the fires of Charity, inas- 



1 86 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

much as it compels all to perceive that good 
is the final goal of all, and 

Love, whose influence, the divinest of all, 
causeth man to work no evil, but to do good 
even to the humblest and meanest of all 
created things. 

Blessed trinity, whose light shall become 
brighter and brighter in the world, until the 
love of my and mine shall be lost in that 
deeper love of the All, that shall foster in 
every human heart a sense of the brother- 
hood of all, that shall yet usher in the 
Golden Age foretold by seer and prophet of 
every race and age the world has seen or 
man has ever known. 

The age when man shall own no master 
save that of his own spirit, bow at no altar 
save that over which the stars of Truth and 
Reason never set, and offer to the Unspeak- 
able One only that worship which consists 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 87 

in the doing of that which is right and 
good. 

Then shall appear what I beheld in the 
vision of the spirit as the man that is to 
be! 



1 88 WISDOM OF THE AGES 



XLVI. 

T^HEN spake Neontu: Oh, Master, I would 
*■ seek the easier pathway. My feet are 
torn and bleeding, and my heart is sore from 
many a dagger thrust. Why labor for others 
to make their pathway easier while ours lies 
over the untrodden fields and up the steep and 
trackless ascents? The multitudes are but 
slaves that bow and kiss the hands that op- 
press whilst they either spurn or strike the 
hand outstretched to bless and assist them. 
Why not go on our way, as thou hast already 
taught, alone, and leave them to stumble along 
as best they may ? 

When Neontu ceased speaking, the Master 
turned toward him with a smile, and said: 
Oh, Neontu, how canst thou have ease of 
mind without freedom and self-government? 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 89 

And how canst thou obtain these unless thine 
every duty is performed ? If the smallest duty 
is neglected ease cannot come to thee. The 
man who governs himself is the one who is 
willing to forego much of the so-called pleasure 
of the world provided that thereby his life may 
prove a blessing unto others. No man is self- 
centred and consequently self-governed unless 
he heeds every dictate of the soul. The soul 
speaks not merely for the one, but for the 
all. 

No man can afford to have plenty while 
poverty is all about him, neither can a man 
afford to be negatively good and pure because 
he keeps himself away from all that is unclean 
and impure. The pure can touch and handle 
the impure and unclean and not be polluted 
thereby. Thou mayst infuse the best qualities 
of thy life into those who are impure and un- 
clean, and thus be able to lead them step by 



I90 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

step away from all that impedes the upward 
journey of the soul. 

Can thy soul be at ease in any other walk 
of life than that which it prompts thee to 
take? Certainly, I did say, thou must blaze 
out thine own path, but whilst thou art doing 
that, nothing hinders thee from becoming a 
light unto others. Thou mayst lead them to 
a knowledge of self. Thou mayst lift the 
clouds that hang over them, and reveal the fire 
that burns forever on the altars of their souls. 
Thou canst not make the path for their feet 
to walk in, neither canst thou compel them to 
walk in any especial path. Thou mayst show 
them a more excellent way and thus become 
a means that leads to their advancement. 

In the doing of good and also the leading 
of others to do good, thou wilt find ease thou 
canst not find, search as thou wilt, in any 
other way. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES I9I 

Thy feet torn and bleeding! If thou find- 
est thy rightful path thy feet will not longer 
press upon thorns and jagged stones. If thou 
art only self-centred and self-governed, the 
poison arrows of malice and envy will no 
longer pierce thy heart. Thou art too firmly 
centred in thine own selfish desires to rise 
to those altitudes where malice and envy can 
harm thee no longer. Do the good and 

RIGHT NOT BECAUSE THOU EXPECTEST TO BE 
REWARDED FOR THY SERVICES WITH THE SMILES 
AND KINDLY WORDS OF THE RECIPIENT, BUT 
BECAUSE THE DOING OF THE GOOD AND RIGHT 
BRINGS ITS OWN REWARD IN THE SATISFACTION 
IT CAUSES TO PERMEATE THY WHOLE BEING. 

Stop not to think what others may say or do, 
for thou canst never find valid excuse for 
doing wrong in the thought that the multi- 
tudes love that which is evil. 

Rise, oh, Neontu, to that sublime height 



I92 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

of the soul wher thou wilt no longer feel the 
waves of contention and strife rolling over 
thee, but by thee and around thee and through 
thee shall sweep the breath of Omn on its 
eternal way, bearing the message of peace and 
love to all souls who have conquered the lower 
nature and have attained the freedom that is 
that of the self-governed. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 93 



XLVII. 

A GAIN my teachings have been misunder- 
* ** stood when thou sayest, oh, Neontu, 
that man should ever look inward. I have 
declared again and again that the source of all 
truth is within, but, at the same time, its 
streams are ever flowing outward toward the 
circumference. It is always well for thee to 
know the results that obtain in the physical 
domain. I have not found fault with the phys- 
ical scientist because he studies the shell of 
the universe, but have tried to impress upon 
thee that it would be far wiser on his part if 
he would occasionally look within, and thus 
learn the source of all phenomena. Curb not 
the aspirations of thy nature that reach out- 
wardly. Like ships sailing over unknown seas 
they may return laden with the richest of car- 



194 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

goes. Yet do I boldly declare unto thee that 
all the riches thou mayst be able to gather 
from the material realms will prove of little 
value unto thee unless thou art able to per- 
ceive in and through all the underlying spirit 
of all things. Here alone wilt thou be able to 
find permanency. The clothing thou wearest 
to protect thy body after a time is laid aside 
for new. And even the atoms that compose 
thy body are continually being discarded that 
their places may be given to others. The 
compelling power of all Nature that causes 
the ceaseless urge in every atom as well as 
in every flaming sun and star is spirit, the 
only Absolute Reality. Yet as spirit worketh 
in all, the humblest forms may teach thee 
important lessons. Ever have I sought to im- 
press upon thee the sacredness of all things — 
that nothing is moving across the infinite stage 
of action aimless and purposeless. While I 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 95 

would not have thee ignore the organization, 
yet I would not have thee linger too long in 
the form-realm, for I would have thy spiritual 
sight opened, so that thou couldst behold the 
architect of each and every form. The form 
may be indeed beautiful, but far more beau- 
tiful is always the builder of that form. If 
ye delve simply amid the outward forms, mys- 
tery will ever enshroud all things. To thy 
vision the face of Nature will ever wear an 
impenetrable veil. But if thou wilt cultivate the 
interior senses, they that be of the spirit, it 
shall be thy privilege to lift the veil from the 
face of Nature, and in ecstacy almost divine, 
behold such beauty and glory as never before 
fell upon the vision of thy spirit. 

It is true, oh, Neontu, that thou wouldst not 
have been placed in this outward world unless 
its lessons were of importance and value to 
thee. Therefore it is well that thou shouldst 



I96 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

become a close student of all the many things 
that surround thee, but at the same time thou 
shouldst not allow thyself to become so thor- 
oughly entangled in the meshes of the web 
that \ aya weaves around thee that thou canst 
not at any moment free thyself and soar on 
the pinions of the soul to those heights around 
which the ethers of the heavenly spheres are 
ever playing. Be not content to plod on thy 
way, grovelling ever in the midst of those con- 
ditions that hold thee in the sphere of mate- 
riality, but instead develop that higher spir- 
ituality at whose bidding shall open all the 
secret chambers of being. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 1 97 



XLVIII. 

PHE states after death are dependent upon 

* the states before death. 
I have sought, whenever the opportunity of- 
fered, oh, Neontu, to impress upon thee the 
great law of Consequences. In other words, 
that it is impossible for man to escape the con- 
sequence of his every act. Therefore, habits 
must necessarily cling to him after the body 
physical has been thrown aside. No miracle 
occurs to transform him in a moment's time 
from a demon to a saint. If his home has 

been in the realm of the carnal appetites and 
passions, death will not lift him out of that 
realm, for it can destroy only that through 
which these appetites and passions were grat- 
ified. Such spirits attach themselves as par- 
asites to susceptible subjects, and through 



198 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

these usurped bodies seek to gratify their 
unhallowed desires. Inasmuch as there are 
malignant spirits encased in physical bodies, 
there are also malignant spirits denuded of 
physical habiliments, who disturb the equi- 
librium of everyday life, break down health 
and harass these physical bodies by sowing in 
them the seeds of disease. Much of the insan- 
ity of the world has been caused by unhappy 
suggestions and melancholy thoughts that 
emanate from these evil spirits that still hug 
the lower strata of physical life. Many times 
the holy sanctuary of life is not only invaded 
but also desecrated by these spirits. The 
rightful owner of the house for the time being 
is deposed and sometimes fairly driven away. 
The most powerful adversaries man is called 
upon to meet are they of the invisible realms. 
Because of their invisibility they are the more 
dangerous. Their attacks are all carefully 



WISDOM OF THE AGES I 99 

arranged and planned without our knowledge. 
The powers and principalities thou art called 
upon to wrestle with are not of this world 
of physical sensations, but of the great realm 
of the unseen, out of which everything that is 
proceeds. 

Not only are men directly controlled and 
influenced by these spirits, but the great social, 
political and religious worlds are invaded by 
them. Thus, oft-times are they enabled to 
wield a powerful influence over the affairs 
as well as the lives of men. Here may be 
found in part the cause of the perversions 
in the great religions of the world. The social 
and political conditions that obtain in the 
world are also in a great measure influenced 
by these denizens of the lower spheres. 

Oft-times they invade the aura surround- 
ing the sensitive and live on his very life. 
Through him they again live the old life, 



200 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

drink in once more its delights and revel in its 
associations. 

This species of vampirism is far more prev- 
alent in the world to-day than many are willing 
to believe. The great body of men and 
women who are prone to investigate along the 
line of psychical phenomena are ever ready 
to hear of all that which is good and beautiful, 
while they turn away in disgust from him who 
would show them the darker side of human ex- 
istence. Man cannot afford to wander longer 
in the realm of half-truths. In order that 
he may be well armed and fully equipped 
for the battles of life he must know the whole 
truth. Therefore he must be led to realize the 
dangers that confront him. Knowledge is one 
of the greatest sources of our strength and 
power. Ignorance makes slaves of even the 
wisest of the earth. Ignorance draws dark 
curtains before the eyes of man, while spirit 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 201 

vampires creep upon him unawares. Knowl- 
edge lifts all curtains, dispels all fogs and 
clouds, revealing the enemy in his lair. When 
we know our enemy and the source of his 
strength, the battle is more than half won. 
Victory comes when we are led to realize our 
own strength and power. 



202 WISDOM OF THE AGES 



XLIX. 

T "X 7 ELL dost thou ask, oh, Neontu, How 

» * can we deal with these conditions ? 
How free the unfortunate one of the para- 
sites that have attached themselves to him ? 
First, bear in mind this great truth: Oc- 
cult Science never interferes with effects, 
but always seeks for the causes that lie 
behind them. The inner life, the realm of 
thoughts, emotions and desires, is of so great 
importance, since hence proceed all exter- 
nal conditions, that it demands from us 
more than a passing notice. Here centre all 
the forces that build up and replenish the 
physical body. Right thought, right emo- 
tion, right desire, must give a well-developed, 
properly nourished and well balanced physi- 
cal body. Perversion of thought, emotion or 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 203 

desire gives the opposite. Out from the 
process of thinking spring the mental im- 
ages with which we are surrounded. These 
images are our constant attendants. They 
take on the color and aspect of our 
thoughts. Our outward lives may be ap- 
parently pure; we may walk in the path- 
way that the world terms that of virtue, and 
yet know absolutely nothing of what real 
virtue and goodness consists. The mental 
images may assume the libidinous features 
of earth's most depraved, and with such im- 
ages, the creations of our own thoughts, may 
we feed the smouldering fires of lust. Thus 
may the emotions and desires be turned 
from their legitimate channels. On the side 
of the lower self man is linked with all be- 
neath him, while on the side of the Higher 
Self he claims kinship with angels and arch- 
angels. It is right here on the side of the 



204 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

lower self that man lays himself open to at- 
tacks from the evilly disposed. There must 
be not only bodily purity, but also mental 
purity, if we would be invulnerable to such 
attacks. On the side of the Higher Self man 
opens doors to divine possibilities, which are 
revealed in the realm of the interior good. 
If this one thought is fully grasped, thy 
questions, oh, Neontu, are completely an- 
swered. Lower conditions are never dealt 
with successfully on their own plane. One 
must deal either from above or within. To 
grapple with these conditions one must real- 
ize that he stands where neither the arrows 
of malice nor envy can reach him. His 
whole being must be charged with the knowl- 
edge of his superiority. 

The unfortunate can be reached and res, 
cued from the meshes that have been woven 
around him, but it is necessary that his spirit 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 205 

shall be reached, awakened from its lethargy, 
and the mind encouraged to call into exist- 
ence new images whose countenances shall 
reflect only love and goodness. 

If thou art conscious of thy divine powers, 
and revolving in thine own orbit, possessed 
of right thoughts, right emotions and right 
desires, none can ever injure thee. Only 
those who have not found their rightful 
place in the universe and are not fully aware 
of their own powers are subject to the in- 
fluence of those winds that blow across the 
marsh lands of the astral realms. 

Be as firm and as unyielding in what thou 
knowest to be right as Truth itself ; keep thy 
whole life near to the ideal thou hast set up 
before thee ; let love lead thee ever with her 
gentle, yet firm, hand along the pathway 
that makes for true righteousness ; then mayst 
thou walk forth as a god among men, fearing 



206 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

no evil, unharmed even in the midst of the 
vilest and most malicious of earth's children, 
for thou hast found the Perfect Way that 
leads to complete mastery of all things. 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 207 



L. 

f~\ PEN, ye pearly gates that lead to eternal 
^-^ bliss! A soul imprisoned would seek 
the freedom of the Upper Spheres ! 

While yet enrobed in flesh, he fain would 
partake of the celestial viands and sip the 
nectar of the gods. 

Thou art long in coming, oh, Death, and the 
soul, grown impatient at the delay, knocks at 
the gates of life eternal, demanding that they 
no longer keep it from its divine birthright. 

Thou hast served me well, old body, moulded 
into most exquisite form from out the potter's 
clay. Through constant use and contact with 
the rough, wild elements of space and time 
thou hast grown more and more ethereal, each 
day reflecting more and more perfectly the 
workings of spirit within. 



208 WISDOM OF THE AGES 

Soon thou shalt fall off from me as the 
leaves in autumn time fall from the trees of 
the forest. I would declare that thou hast 
been a most faithful servant, for most faithfully 
hast thou reflected all the fancies, caprices and 
imaginings of the arbitrary ruler who sits upon 
his throne within. I shall miss thee and drop 
a tear of sincere regret when the last vestige of 
thy form fades into the All of Nature. 

Yet, whilst we two walk hand in hand to- 
gether, I would peer out along that path the 
soul must take when we shall part company 
never to meet again. 

Open, ye pearly gates ! I knock ! I knock ! 
A soul imprisoned seeks to know the secrets 
of the Upper Spheres ! 

Silently, as the coming of the morn, the 
gates swing inward. A light sweeps by me in 
billowy waves that make all earthly light seem 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 209 

but shade and deepest shadow, revealing far, 
far off in the distance, mountains of amethyst, 
topaz, chrysolite, turquoise, flaming and flash- 
ing with light, leaping from peak to peak, 
on and on throughout the vast empyrean 
of heaven ! 

Filled with awe and reverence, my upturned 
eyes drink in the unspeakable glory of the 
celestial realms; trees with iridescent foliage; 
flowers that seem to express the very thought 
of the angels ; seas of burnished gold and 
silver and soft greens and blues, and hanging 
dreamily over all fleecy clouds. 

Here and there the eye beholds forms of 
divinest beauty, either speeding on errands 
of mercy and love or seeking mid the ever- 
changing forms about them the processes of 
their evolution. 

Overcome with awe and reverence, the 
bewildered soul turns once more earthward. 



2IO WISDOM OF THE AGES 

For it is not yet prepared to dwell in the 
midst of such glory and magnificence. For it 
still must come the toil, the disappointments, 
the inharmonies of the sense-world, until all 
bonds are broken, all fetters loosened, and 
purified of all earthly dross it shall rise from 
sphere to sphere, ever nearer and nearer to 
the light ineffable that flashes on from cen- 
tury to century, from aeon to aeon, from 
time to eternity, the light that ever veils the 
countenance of the Eternal 

Omn! ! 



WISDOM OF THE AGES 2 I I 

TLASKAN WORDS. 

Akasa. The great ocean of ether sweep- 
ing in and through all things. 

Lomkatos. Omn taken; those who have 
passed through the change called death. 

Neontu. One of the disciples of Zertoulem 
most deeply loved by the Master. 

Omn. The Eternal; God. 

Otmar. Under clouds; not yet awakened 
to the light of the spirit. 

Sebas-tha-ontu. Sebas, mountains ; tha, the 
sun ; ontu, setting. " The Mountains of the 
Setting Sun. " 

Tha. The sun. 

Tlaskan. The sacred race that peopled a 
portion of Central America many thousands of 
years ago. 

Tlaskan ata. The Land of the Sacred 
Record ; so called because the people were led 
to this land by a prophecy in their sacred writ- 
ings. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Nov. 2004 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 



